


Bruises & Butterflies

by lemoniris



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Roller Derby, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-26 14:30:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14404101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemoniris/pseuds/lemoniris
Summary: Vale’s Valkyries are an established flat-track roller derby league, capturing hearts and kicking ass with mouthguards and booty shorts. But when team numbers drop dramatically, they need fresh meat ASAP. With a tournament coming up, Yang takes it upon herself to try round up some more players to keep the team she loves alive.Blake Belladonna is a bartender, sleeping during the day, working during the night and craving adventure she can’t find in her books. When her childhood best friend Ilia tries helping her find a way to cope with day to day stress, Blake is more than happy to go along with the idea. But she definitely didn’t expect roller derby.





	1. Transitions

**Author's Note:**

> Song for the Chapter: Immortals - Fall Out Boy  
> (Advised to listen to whilst reading; playlist in the making!)

Growing up, Yang Xiao Long was always what people would refer to as the ‘sporty type’. Name a sport and chances are she’s probably tried it. Soccer, rugby, hockey, taekwondo and boxing were all favourable contenders, but for Yang nothing came close to the love of her life: roller derby.

From the first game she watched the Vale Valkyries play, she was caught, hook, line and sinker. The adrenaline, fast pace and teamwork all tugged on her heartstrings. Besides, skating around with gorgeous women in booty shorts? Yang definitely wasn’t complaining. With each minute that ticked by, Yang longed to be one of the girls on the rink, so much that immediately after the game, her feet carried her straight to the coach and her mouth asked where she could sign up before she had a moment to realise. Even when she was told she was too young to play, the blonde didn’t give in for a second. Every pay check she received was stowed away saving for a pair of skates, counting down the longest months of her life to her 18th birthday. The day she was old enough, those skates were on her feet and she was on the rink, starting with T stops and sticky skating and working her way up.

Two years had passed since then, and they were easily the best two years of Yang’s life. To make matters even better, off season was finally over. With her padding and skates stowed in her motorcycle compartment, she sped along the back alleys to the skating rink. Normally on her motorcycle, she would allow herself to take the scenic route, spend more time taking in the adrenaline that came with the wind whipping her hair and the engine revving beneath her. But on training days? You could bet your every penny that Yang knew the quickest way to the rink from wherever in town she was, and that would be the route she would choose.

Pulling up in the snow freckled gravel, she noticed the lack of vehicles in the carpark. She was 5 minutes late, she thought that surely everyone would have been here by now. Turning off the engine, she swung her leg over the side to stand on the gravel, eyebrows furrowed.

“That’s odd,” she mumbled under her breath, removing her helmet and brushing stray blonde hair out of the way. Maybe they carpooled or something? It was January, it would make sense if they carpooled to save fuel to let them have the heater on. _Maybe. Yeah. Let’s go with that._

Hoisting her training bag over her shoulder, she jogged into the building, opening the door and finding a sight that made her heart drop.

 

The team wasn’t even on the rink.

Half of them weren’t even there.

 

Despondent eyes all looked at Yang as she walked in, some filled with relief while Yang looked on in dismay. Even Ruby, her half-sister who was a literal ray of sunshine, looked heartbroken. Weiss, her best friend, smiled sadly at her, patting the empty seat beside her. Pyrrha, Nora, Coco and Velvet all sat around the same table, when normally the team needed at least 3 to fit all their members. Ruby and their coach Glynda sat with them, offering Yang a small smile.

“Nice to see you here Yang,” Glynda greeted, though Yang didn’t seem to recognise her words.

“Guys? What’s going on?” the blonde eventually asked, moving to the table and setting her bag on the ground. Taking in the sight before her, Yang struggled not to come to worst case scenario first. “Where is everybody? Why aren’t you all on the track?”

“Yang,” Weiss piped up eventually, white hair pulled back in her usual side ponytail. “They didn’t show up.”

“Why not? Are they late or did they get the dates wrong or something?” Yang asked, desperately clinging to a false truth. They wouldn’t leave, would they?

“I wish they did Yang, but Weiss is right,” Pyrrha told her. “Everyone else resigned.”

 

Yang could pinpoint the exact moment her heart dropped into her stomach. It felt as if someone squeezed her chest to the point she couldn’t breathe, her body beginning to tremble.

“E-Everyone?” the blonde whimpered in disbelief. “Nebula? Dew? Gwen? Octavia? Cinder? Emerald? Winter?”

With each name, her voice grew louder, more and more panic seeping in as she continued.

“Yep. All of them. Up and left without a moment’s notice,” Nora moped, resting her head in her hands. “And as much as I wish I could break their legs, Ren already said no.”

 

Yang was only half listening to Nora’s comment, staring at the ground as she tried to process everything that had happened in the past 3 minutes. Her hands, now clasped into fists, began to shake

“Yang, listen,” Ruby cooed, moving to crouch next to her and rest a hand on Yang’s leg. “It’s going to be okay! We still have enough people for a team, just not enough to practice against each other. The Valkyries aren’t done yet.”

The remaining players sat up a little straighter and looked at Ruby, Glynda taking the opportunity to stand up and address the group.

“Ruby’s right. We may have lost a few players but we can’t afford to lose hope. We still have all of our referees, and Sun is going to round up some more people to be non-skating officials.”

Velvet looked towards Glynda, eyebrows furrowed slightly and a question on her lips.

“Do you think Ruby would be able to- “

“Ruby isn’t allowed to play yet, she’s still too young,” Glynda began, continuing before Ruby’s frown grew any deeper. “But desperate times call for desperate measures. So, I’ll bend the rules just a little.”

 

At this, all the team members were intently watching and listening, looking between Ruby and Glynda. Ruby was one of the fastest skaters the league had seen, even without training, but she had always been too young to play for them.

“What does that mean?” Yang asked, hoping that something good would come out of this conversation.

“It means that I’ll let Ruby train with our new intake. She may not be able to play but I can’t deny she’s a natural for the game,” Glynda explained. “We’re going to need as many people this intake as we possibly can get but this also needs we need more people to teach them. Ruby already has some of the basic skills down so she’ll be able to help the freshies.”

 

The group was silent for a moment before all eyes turned to Ruby, waiting and watching their youngest league member for her reaction. Yang returned the favour her younger sister gave her earlier, gently resting her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. Silver eyes seemed to be glazed over with an emotion that the blonde couldn’t quite place.

“What’s going through your head Rubes?” she asked gently, snapping her sister out of whatever reverie she was in.

“Well, at least I get to use my skates more than once a week now,” she finally uttered, giving everyone a thumbs-up and small smile. A chuckle murmured throughout the group, Weiss rolling her eyes at the redhead.

“You better not have ruined them already,” the white-haired girl quipped, the group laughing at the pair’s playful banter.

 

“First things first before everyone gets too excited. We need fresh meat,” Coco told them, rummaging through a battered satchel. After a few moments, a pile of posters slammed onto the table.

“Fresh meat is in 3 days. I want you ladies to round up as many people as you can. If they can skate is irrelevant. We have just under a year until the Remnant Rumble, and if you girls are willing to help out, we’ll have them able to play before then,” Glynda told them all. “Since we don’t have enough people to scrim, your job for today ladies? Get these pamphlets handed out and spread the word. The Valkyries aren’t going down without a fight.”

“Hell yeah!” Nora cheered, standing up and raising both fists in the air. “Everybody team up and spread that derby stank- I mean spirit!”

A murmur of agreement passed through the group, Glynda watching them all with a rare smile.

“I’ll take the rest of the sports centres in town. The rest of you, divvy up the posters and put them up wherever you can. Don’t let me down ladies,” she called, exiting through the doors of the skating rink.

Discussing amongst themselves as to where they would go, the group spilt into pairs. Pyrrha and Nora tagged together, deciding to take Beacon University campus and the surrounding shops. Coco and Velvet opted for the restaurant strip, especially considering they owned a restaurant in that area and had a little more credibility. Since Glynda told the girls that she would spread hers along the other sporting venues, Yang took the rest and decided to head downtown, where she hoped her influence on the nightlife would have a positive effect. She was _not_ losing her team.

 

                                                                                                ///

“Anything else?”

“That’s all. On the tab sweetheart,” the man grumbled, his hunched form taking his whiskey and retreating from the bar.

_9:14_

Blake had only been on shift for less than an hour, but she had already compiled a list of how many other places she would rather be than stuck here mixing drinks. The library was ideal, but she knew she would most likely never leave. Her apartment was another option, despite the pile of laundry she had been procrastinating on for at least two weeks. Sun was most likely out but she had a spare key, although the place always seemed to smell like bleach and hair dye. It had calmed down enough out here she _could_ escape into the back room for a little while, but didn’t particularly want to get caught.

_Ding!_

The series of bells on the door struck against the wood, alerting Blake to a new customer. She prepared her sickly-sweet customer service voice before softening at a familiar pair of grey eyes and freckles.

 

“Hey Ilia,” she hummed with a light smile. She quickly added the last order to the respective tab, before walking over to where the chameleon had hopped onto the nearest bar stool. Instead of replying, Ilia merely thumped her forehead against the bar, grumbling softly under her breath.

“Rough day?” the sable haired woman mused, lightly stroking along Ilia’s scalp until she raised her head.

“You could say that,” Ilia mumbled, lifting her head and lips coming up in a barely-there smile. “Mind if I get a drink?”

“As if you’d walk across halfway across Vale to meet me here and I wouldn’t get you a drink,” Blake remarked. “The usual?”

Ilia merely nodded, sitting up and watching Blake move away. Her elbows rested against the bar, her hands propping up her head.

 

Blake returned with a tall glass of water in one hand and a small square glass filled with amber liquid and ice in the other. Handing the water to Ilia, Blake retrieved the post mix, filling the remainder of the square glass with cola.

“How’d dinner shift go?” the feline asked, handing over the square glass.

“Wasn’t the worst shift I’ve ever had,” Ilia started, taking a sip of her drink. “Although, there was one guy that thought he’d be funny and order a well-done steak 3 minutes before kitchen closed.”

Blake visibly winced, remembering her time waitressing along with Ilia. “And Sienna made kitchen stay open?”

“You know what she’s like,” Ilia chuckled, taking another sip of her drink. “Bullhead shown his face around here lately?”

Blake sighed a little, shaking her head. “Thankfully no. His ban on the place goes up in a month, but until then I don’t have to worry too much,” she hummed. She moved to the dishwasher, placing the loaded tray into the machine, slamming the door shut.

 

Ilia frowned a little as Blake worked. She didn’t know the complete history of what happened between Blake and her ex, but it was obvious her friend was still in a dark place.

“Ever thought about taking up a new hobby? Try to get your mind of things?” the chameleon suggested once Blake moved back towards her.

“Only a million times,” Blake grumbled under her breath. “That why I started the novel but it’s doing more harm than good. I just keep getting so frustrated with it, deleting it and starting again.”

 

Ilia’s eyes rolled at Blake’s mini rant. When it came to her creations, Blake was meticulously particular and a serial perfectionist. It made her a wonderful bartender, every order delivered spot on and exactly to the customer’s wishes. But Blake was her own worst critic, and most of her creations ended up being scrapped.

 

“Okay, maybe try something to release stress instead of giving you more?”

Blake thought it over for a moment, before nodding a little.

“I have been thinking about getting active again. But gym memberships always end up getting wasted since I never go.”

Ilia merely shrugged her shoulders, taking another sip of her drink. Before the conversation could progress, Blake noticed a customer standing at the bar. Whispering to Ilia she’d be back, she approached the customer with her ‘customer service’ smile.

 

Ilia chuckled, watching Blake change her demeanour for the customer. Knowing she’d be a moment, Ilia rummaged through her backpack to find her phone. Eyes looking elsewhere, Ilia’s fingers searched through the bag before grabbing something that wasn’t her phone. Confused, she pulled out what she had found, seeing a pamphlet with bright colours and the picture of a pair of skates.

“How’d this get in here?” she mumbled, before her eye caught notice of black writing towards the bottom.

                _Hope you still have your old skates! I’d love to see you there if you’re willing! -_ _Velvet xx_

Eyebrows furrowed, Ilia held the pamphlet up, scanning every detail to find her answers.

 

                                                  **_VALE VALKYRIES FRESH MEAT INTAKE (18+)_**

**_Looking for more excitement? Want to try something new?_ **

**_The Valkyries are looking for new players to join their Roller Derby League!_ **

**_Skating experience not necessary_ **

**_Perfect to meet new people, get fit or show the world what a bad ass you are!_ **

**_Saturday 6pm @ Yellow Brick Roller Rink_ **

 

“What’s that?”

Ilia snapped out of her focus, seeing Blake watching her intently. Amber eyes shifted from Ilia to the paper in her hands. Silently, she held out her hand towards Ilia. Getting the hint, Ilia handed over the paper, processing what she had just read.

 

“I think I might have found something for you,” she mused, watching Blake scan the pamphlet with furrowed eyebrows.

“Roller Derby? You think learning how to bash people on skates will be good for stress relief?” Blake asked incredulously.

Ilia was silent for a moment more, the gears turning in her head. “As crazy as it sounds I think it might be.”

Blake put down pamphlet down on the bar, pushing it back towards Ilia. “I think you might have me wrong this time Ilia.”

“But it’s meeting every requirement you wanted Blake. You’ll get to meet new people, get back into being active and its stress relief. And if Velvet is on the team then it must be a safe environment for Faunus,” Ilia tried to persuade.

 

Blake fell silent, trying to think of something to reply with. Eventually a sigh left her lips, shoulders relaxing a little.

“I’ll go the intake. But it’s not for me, I won’t stay. If it is…” she trailed off, as Ilia let her frown turn into a wide smile.

“Got it. You still have your skates, right?” Ilia asked, putting the pamphlet back in her bag.

“You mean the ones from high school?”

“Unless you got another pair then those are the ones.”

“Well yeah, I wasn’t going to throw them out. You got them for me.”

 

Ilia’s freckles turned a shade of pink, nodding as a memory briefly replayed in her head. Before she left herself trail too far, she snapped herself back into the moment.

“Good. Make sure you bring them to intake just in case.”

“You still have yours right Ilia?” Blake hummed, a light smirk tilting up her lips.

 

Ilia paused, before wincing slightly, sensing the trap she had set for herself.

“You’re dragging me along too, aren’t you?”

“As if I’m going to do this by myself,” Blake mused, a light teasing tone in her voice.

“Yeah but I’m tiny! What good am I going to be in a game of roller derby?” Ilia spluttered, her freckles turning yellow as the nerves set in.

“Ilia.” Blake moved to gently take a hold of Ilia’s hand, squeezing it slightly. “It’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s only intake and if we want to stay afterwards we will.”

Knowing Ilia was a little nervous, Blake dropped a little lower, catching Ilia’s eyes and offering a small smile.

“Please come with me?"

The yellow shifted into pink before eventually fading to Ilia’s natural skin tone.

“You know how hard it is for me to say no to you right?” she grumbled, causing Blake to smile a little brighter.

“You’ve made a habit of telling me.”

Ilia sighed in mock defeat, lips quirking up and returning Blake’s smile.

“Alright. Looks like we’re trying roller derby.”


	2. Fresh Meat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter - Sex by The 1975
> 
> //formatting to come later, hope you all enjoy the chapter!//

“Why does everyone look so glum? It’s fresh meat!”

“I think you just answered your own question Nora,” the blonde mused, sitting next to the eager ginger. “Nobody’s here yet.”

“That doesn’t mean we all need to be down in the dumps! They’ll show up sooner or later!”

Already geared up, Nora took to the track first. The sound of wheels racing along the track seemed to sooth Yang’s racing heartbeat, snapping out of her reverie to begin gearing up.  
One by one the rest of the players trickled through the door, bidding their hellos and sliding on their padding. The empty seat next to Yang was soon taken by Pyrrha, her warm smile catching Yang’s eye.

“Shouldn’t Ruby be here? I doubt she’d miss her first training session,” the redhead mused, sliding her knee pads up long legs.

“You know she wouldn’t. Apparently, she roped a friend into joining so Dad’s got to make a detour to pick her up,” Yang explained, reaching down and tying her laces.

“Good old Snack Dad,” Pyrrha chuckled, shaking her head with a fond smile. “How’s he been?”

Yang shrugged, raising her hand and giving a so-so gesture before the door opened. The blonde simultaneously felt her heart soar and drop. It wasn’t anyone new that had walked in, but finally seeing Ruby with her skates slung on her shoulder was almost like a relief. Yang had almost forgotten what it was like seeing Ruby smile that wide.

“Ready to get on the track Rubes?” she asked, watching the young girl practically float into the room.

“You bet!” she chirped, moving to take a seat before Yang stopped her.

“Where’s your padding?” the blonde asked, giving her sister a knowing look. Ruby’s face turned from confusion to realisation to a wince.

“Ah shoot! Penny’s got it and she’s still at the car. Be right back!”

Within a second Ruby was sprinting out of the door, a murmur of chuckles passing through the room from the remaining team members.   
At that moment, Glynda appeared, no skates or padding in sight but a whistle around her neck.

“Evening ladies,” she greeted, setting down a backpack and removing a water bottle. “Everybody on the track as soon as you’re geared up. I want you all nice and warm for when the freshies get here.”

“If they ever get here,” Yang drawled under her breath, fastening her helmet clip.

“At least try to have a little faith Yang,” Pyrrha retaliated, tightening her helmet strap before standing up. “C’mon, let’s get out there.”

Popping in her mouthguard, Yang stood next to Pyrrha before the two made their way onto the track. Weiss, Coco and Velvet soon joined them, the smaller girl skating to catch up with Yang.

“Feeling better from last training?” she asked, adjusting her elbow pad as the pair glided around the corner.

“I will once some freshies show up,” she grumbled under her breath. “Did we manage to get anyone other than Ruby and her friend?”

“I’m sure we would have, we must have handed out hundreds of flyers,” Weiss reasoned. “They’ll come sooner or later.”

Before Yang could retaliate, the screech from the whistle sounded.

“Alright ladies, we’re going to start on our 2-minute drills! First up, sticky skating!”  
///  
“This is the right place?” Ilia asked, easing into the gravel carpark as Blake checked her phone.

“Yellow Brick Roller Rink; this is it,” she confirmed, locking her phone and depositing it in her bag. The feline took a deep breath, exhaling a little louder than necessary as Ilia finally parked, pulled the handbrake and switched off the engine.

“Are you feeling okay?” the chameleon asked, watching her exasperated friend.

“I guess so. Just not sure what to expect.”

Ilia’s lips downturned slightly, grey eyes wandering to find amber.

“It is only fresh meat. If you don’t think it’s right for you, then you don’t have to do anything.”

Amber met soft warm grey and Blake felt the tension in her shoulders release a little. Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, pausing for a moment.

“Shouldn’t I be doing this for you?” she breathed, peeking open one amber eye to watch the chameleon.

“Well, I’m not the one freaking out right now,” Ilia taunted gently, causing Blake to open both eyes. She took a moment, taking one more calming breath as her fingers pressed the red button on the seat buckle.

“Alright; let’s go.” With renewed confidence, Blake took her old skates by their laces with one hand, the other pulling the door handle.

“Oh, and Ilia?” Blake started, turning to watch her friend climb out of the car before turning back to her.

“Yeah?”

Blake thought for a moment on how to phrase her next sentence, moving to meet Ilia’s eyes.

“If…If your anxiety starts playing up, come tell me okay?”

The chameleon Faunus visibly softened at Blake’s words.

“I promise. Thanks Blake.”

Relieved, Blake climbed out of the car, closing the door as Ilia retrieved her skates from the boot. Slinging them over her shoulder, the boot slammed shut, followed by a click.

Wordlessly, the pair padded along the gravel carpark, growing closer to a faded yellow door, the square windows blocked out any view of the mystery that lay inside. After a beat of silence, Ilia finally reached out, pulling the door handle and slowly opening the door.

The two Faunus crept inside, seeing two younger girls excitedly chatting about something by one of the tables. Their gaze then shifted to the group of girls in the middle, bodies of all different shapes and sizes, all adorned with skates, padding and helmets. Noticing just how many of them were wearing booty shorts, Ilia felt her freckles turn a warm shade of pink.

“Your gay is showing Ilia,” Blake chuckled softly, nudging Ilia out of her reverie. A witty reply on Ilia’s lips, a shout interrupted them both.

“FRESHIES!”

///

A murmur of laughter rippled through the group as they stretched, Yang craning her head to try catch a glimpse of whoever entered the rink.

“Calm your enthusiasm Nora,” the blonde heard Pyrrha chastise, a small smile in her voice. Everything else turned into a blur, a murmur of voices filling the background as violet eyes scanned the side of the rink. She watched her sister excitedly gesture to her skates and the girls on the tracks, engaged in conversation with the ginger who eagerly nodded and listened. Yang’s gaze kept drifting sideways, catching glimpse of another two girls. Her heart lifted a little, knowing they had at least drawn in a few strangers into the league.

Very pretty strangers too, Yang chimed in thought, letting her eyes wander. The shorter girl stayed closer to her friend, as if she were a security blanket. Mahogany hair pulled back into a ponytail, grey eyes flickered around the room, hesitance shown on her freckled face. She had an endearing aura, but she was most definitely easy on the eyes. That could easily be said for her friend too. Long sable hair, feline ears that flicked at each sound and sparkling amber eyes that could stare through someone’s soul like cellophane.

Damn I’m gay. Okay, who else have we got?

Yang’s gaze trailed further and saw only empty chairs. Four people. That’s all they had gotten.

“Yang, can you come back from dreamland please?” 

Yang snapped out of her reverie to see ice blue eyes staring back at her.

“You’ve been staring over there for over 2 minutes. Mind telling us what’s going through your head?” Weiss snipped. The blonde stared at her skates as she stretched her legs out in front of her.

Four people? We put up hundreds of posters and all we get is four fucking people?!

“There’s only four people. That’s including Ruby and her friend,” she finally murmured, her voice tinged with a dangerous tone. Out of her peripheral vision, Yang watched the white-haired girl furrow her eyebrows, casting her gaze to the side of the rink before looking at the rest of them. All eyes focused on Yang, watching a bomb tick over.

“Yang? Are you alright?” a soothing voice asked, and Yang knew the kind green eyes that lay behind the voice, but she was not in the mood to be coddled.

“Does it look like it Pyrrha?” came her growl, eyes refusing to meet anyone’s. 

SCREEEEEEEEECH!

“On your feet ladies!”

Gaze shifting from Yang to Glynda, the team finished their stretches and immediately hopped to their feet.

“This is our current team,” the coach began, a wide sweeping arm gesturing to the team as she faced the four freshies. “We have Wonder Woman,” she began, Pyrrha waving slightly.

“Thunder Thighs,” came next, Nora chucking them a playful wink.

“Bunny Bomb, Snap Crackle Pop, Snow Spite,” followed, Velvet, Coco and Weiss each making themselves known respectively.  
“And this moping young lady over here is Yang Bang.”

Violet eyes snapped up at that point, the team all chuckling softly, Yang hastily giving a two-fingered salute once Weiss dug an elbow into her side.

“You seem a little out of in Yang; maybe you could show some skills to the new players?” Glynda suggested, although her tone made it clear it wasn’t a suggestion; it was a demand. 

“Go show ‘em,” Coco encouraged, giving her rear a playful whack as the rest of the team headed to the sidelines. “Want me to get the song up?”

At that point, Yang briefly looked to the two strangers, seeing them watch her intently. Smirking, ever so slightly, she looked back at Coco and nodded.   
“You know it.”

Slowly, she skated over into the centre of the track, placing her mouthguard in.

“I’ll call the drills for you; first, toe stop start and crossovers,” Glynda informed her, Yang merely nodding in acknowledgement. Propped on her toe stops, her body bent like a marathon runner, she let the electric guitar that blasted from the speaker fill her ears.

Yang took off running on her toestops, moving into a glide before crossing her legs over one another as she moved her way around the corner. Big, long strides built up her speed, skating the apex of the track and preparing herself for the next drill.

“Backwards!”

Transitioning, she began to skate backwards around the track, feeling all eyes in the room on her. Knowing she’d be going past the fresh meat, she couldn’t help but make her rear a little more prominent. Might as well give them a good show, she told herself with a smirk. After a while, Glynda yelled out another move.

“Knee taps! On the whistle!”

Yang suppressed a groan, transitioning back around to skate forwards, listening for the next sound of the whistle. 

SCREECH!

With each blast, she lunged, tapped her kneepad against the track and kept skating, alternating legs each time. Faint cheers sounded over the guitar, but Yang could hardly hear over the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. Damn, she missed this.

“Laterals!”

Picking up some speed, she swung one leg in front of the other, pointing it to the other side of the track. Once she reached it, she scissored the other leg in front, leading her back to the other side of the track. This continued for a minute before Glynda cried out again.

“Tomahawks! On the whistle!”

Moving back to the middle of the track, Yang listened out for the whistle, noting the song was almost over. 

SCREECH!

Swiftly, Yang transitioned to skate backwards once again before letting one leg drift behind her and moving her weight onto her toe-stops. Once she had stopped, she turned back around and began skating.

SCREECH!

She repeated the drill again and again, until Glynda blew the whistle twice and the final chord of the song faded out. Panting slightly, the blonde rolled back over to the rest of the Valkyries stood, dropping into a knee slide to stop.

“Not bad,” Weiss teased, a slight smirk on her lips. Yang looked up at her, matching her smirk. 

“I’d like to see you do that many knee taps Princess~”

The rest of the team chuckled around them, ice blue eyes widening a fraction before hardening.

“Everyone on the track; do a few laps of sticky skating while I talk to the freshies,” Glynda told them, before walking over to Ruby, her friend and the two pretty strangers.

A unanimous groan sounded from the team but they relented and made their way onto the track.

Yang cast a quick glance to Glynda and the new skaters, making note of the fact that Ruby and the two strangers already had skates on their feet. However, the freckled girl and the feline still seemed nervous as they stood up. 

Hopefully I didn’t scare them off. Maybe I did too much? Well I did what Glynda was telling me to do; but I still showed off. Oh Gods what if I’ve completed turned them off derby? What if-

“You alright Yang?” the kind voice asked again, Yang snapping out of her thought and turning to face whoever it was.

Of course it’s Pyrrha.

Yang sighed softly before nodding. 

“Yeah. Sorry I snapped earlier,” she mumbled, watching the ground as they moved around the track.

“I understand why you did. We know how much derby means to you,” Pyrrha consoled, slowing a little to stay with the blonde. “But you don’t need to fret. We’re gonna be fine, I promise.”

Yang didn’t say anything in reply, but after a moment she felt Pyrrha’s fingers lift her chin.

“If you stare at the track your face is going to meet it,” the redhead chuckled lowly, before gazing around the track. “Instead, why don’t you watch our future players?”

The blonde looked in the same direction as Pyrrha and she couldn’t help but let her lips lift into a smile.

Her baby sister was on the track, all geared up like the rest of the team and skating laps, the grin on her face so wide it looked like it was about to split in half. Chuckling softly, Yang looked back to the rest of the freshies.

While Ruby’s ginger friend was a little hesitant on her skates, she was at least moving, Glynda walking beside her as she slowly moved along the track. And finally, the two strangers.

The pair seemed a little more comfortable, falling into a rhythm alongside each other as if it were muscle memory. When the shorter girl stumbled slightly, the feline reached for her hands before transitioning and skating backwards to help her.

Wait; Transitions? Backwards skating?

Yang watched in awe as they circled the track, Nora letting out a whistle from the other side of the track. Yang wouldn’t have pegged them for skaters but Gods was she grateful they could skate. The weight in her chest lifted for a moment, letting Yang take a deep breath, relax and smile.

Looks like Valkyries aren’t going anywhere.


	3. T Starts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter: Nervous - Shawn Mendes

_ BRRR!.....BRRR!...BRR- _

“Hello?” 

_ “Blake, what time does training start?” _

 

Blake blanked for a moment, rolling to the other side of her bed and fishing for the pamphlet Glynda gave them. Furrowing her eyes to let them adjust, she finally relayed an answer back.

“5pm it starts. But that’s when we have to be on the rink,” the feline recounted, setting down the pamphlet and moving to lay on her back.

_ “Okay, so I did have it right. I thought it was 5 but then I was scared that I had heard it wrong.” _

 

A soft chuckle filled her room, smiling a little when she heard the same from Ilia’s side.

“Sounds like you. Well, we still have a few hours. Working today?”

_ “Nup. Already talked to Sierra **whoooOOOOOSSSSHHhhh!** \- that we need for training.” _

Blake’s eyebrows furrowed at the sound of the wind, casting a quick glance out the window.

 

_ “Sorry about that, stupid wind is getting everywhere.” _

“Where are you?” the feline asked, knowing Ilia must be out; her apartment never gets quite this breezey.

_ “I’m on a walk, why?” _

“Ilia it’s freezing outside!” she exclaimed, almost launching herself off the bed. “You’re going to catch your death out there; how far are you from my place?”

_ “I’m,...uh, oh I’m just around the corner! Right near the shop that does the really good chips and cheese.” _

 

Blake chuckled softly, making her way into the space she had dubbed the ‘living room’, flopping onto the worn, burgundy couch. 

“Well, Sun’s not here for once. Come over, can’t have you getting sick right before training.”

The feline could practically hear Ilia blush over the phone.

_ “…Alright. I-I’ll be there in just a little bit.” _

“I’ll see you soon.”

_ Beep. Beep. Beep. _

 

As the line went dead, Blake hit the red button before placing her phone next to her on the couch.

She knew Ilia would be there soon, her childhood friend never seemed to be able to lie to her.

Well, except about one thing.

 

Ilia had only come out to her as lesbian a few years prior. They were 18, in a dark time and struggled for any human connection they could grasp that wasn’t toxic. Even though their friendship had been close for years and years, the chameleon had admitted that coming out to Blake was harder than she had initially expected, but hadn’t ever revealed why.

_ Knock knock knock! _

Feline ears twisting around at the sound, she smiled softly knowing who it would be. Propping herself up, she rolled off the couch and moved to the door. Twisting the doorknob, she gave it a good tug, only for it to stay stationary.

 

“Damnit, not again,” she grumbled, hearing Ilia laugh from the other side of the door. Rolling her eyes, she hiked the door up as much as she could, twisting the knob and giving another tug. After tugging much harder than necessary, she had somehow managed to stay on her feet, but Ilia smiled knowingly, most likely seeing the almost fall.

“Success!” Ilia cheered with a teasing smile, clad in a dark blue coat with her hands shoved in the pockets.

Blake shot her a playful glare, before stepping aside and opening the door wider to let Ilia step through.

“Well, you’re the one who decided to go outside in this weather in the first place,” she hummed, heading into the kitchenette in the corner and flicking on the kettle.

“Sorry for getting the urge to go for a walk! Besides, at least it’s getting me moving for tonight,” the chameleon retaliated, moving to stand on her toes and reach for their usual mugs. The tip of her tongue stuck out in concentration, she barely noticed the snicker Blake tried to suppress.

Eyebrows raised, she turned to see the feline holding the mugs she had been looking for.

“…Oops,” Ilia mumbled, standing flat on her feet and taking the mugs from Blake. “Guess I wasn’t looking in the right spot.”

A soft chuckle was the only reply Blake gave, opening a cupboard filled to the brim with different types of tea. Each box was a different colour, holding a different flavour inside. To anyone else, it may have seemed crazy, but to Ilia it was just Blake. Asking her to pick her favourite tea was equivalent of asking a mother to choose between children.

 

Well, maybe not that extreme but Blake still preferred having multiple types on hand. Considering how much of the stuff she drank, Ilia supposed she needed at least some kind of variety.

 

“Which one today?” Ilia asked, watching Blake intently study the cupboard.

The feline hummed a little, her nose scrunching up just a touch. 

“Not quite sure what mood I’m in. Maybe peppermint? Yeah, that sounds good,” she muttered, partly to herself and partly to the chameleon in the room. Reaching for the light green box, she extracted two tea bags from it. With almost simultaneous timing, the kettle whistled as it finished boiling. 

The room was silent yet comforting once more, Blake methodically pouring the boiling water into their mugs, leaving a little more space in Ilia’s mug before heading to the fridge. Retrieving the jug of cold water, she splashed a little into Ilia’s mug the same way she had hundreds of times before. The two girls head to the beat burgundy loveseat, Ilia placing two coasters down on the wooden coffee table.

 

“Excited about training?” Blake asked, taking her cup of tea before curling herself into a ball and resting in one corner.

“Honestly? More nervous than anything,” Ilia admitted softly, cradling her mug in the palms of her hands. “Did you see how their girls were skating? I know I’ve skated before but not like that.”

“Well, they wouldn’t have started like that,” Blake reasoned before taking a sip of tea. “That’s probably why we have to learn everything that we start playing.”

Ilia sighed a little before taking a sip of her own. “I guess so, I just hope watching them doesn’t bug me down too much.”

The feline smiled warmly, reaching over and gently resting a hand on Ilia’s leg and it took every ounce of the chameleon’s self-control not to jump in surprise.

 

Blake’s mouth opened as she tried to say something, before being interrupted by a vibrating sound. The sable haired woman reached for her phone, taking a glance at the screen before amber eyes widened. Ilia watched on in concern, seeing the feline begin to silently descend into panic as Blake’s hands shook and her ears folded against her skull.

“Blake?” she asked in a whisper, amber eyes snapped up to meet grey. Noticing the loose grip, Ilia slowly ran her fingers soothingly along Blake’s arm before grasping the phone and taking the phone from her.

 

Ilia felt her own heart jump into her throat, seeing who was calling.

 

Immediately, she pressed the power button and ended the call before looking up at Blake. After a split second of seeing her friend begin to crumble, Ilia wrapped her arms around Blake, feeling the feline cling onto her and breathe deeply.

“Why is he still calling you?” the chameleon asked, trying not to let her panic seep into her voice. “I thought we blocked the number.”

“You know what he’s like Ilia. If I block it he’ll come find me,” Blake murmured into Ilia’s neck, bringing her closer as if her friend was a safety blanket. Ilia held her gently, hushing into her ear and slowly tracing a pattern along her spine.

“He’s not going to come near you,” Ilia hushed, resting Blake’s head in the crook of her neck and laying her own head near Blake’s. “He’s not going to hurt you, nothing is going to hurt you. I won’t let it, and I know damn well that Sun and your parents won’t either.”

Blake didn’t have the energy to reply, all of it fuelling her shaking and sobbing in Ilia’s arms. Time seemed to stand still but the two girls did not move, Blake clinging to Ilia like a drowning man’s lifeboat and Ilia reassuring Blake with soft words and a warm embrace. After what felt like hours, Blake finally moved her head from Ilia’s shoulder to reveal tear streaks and a soft smile.

“Sorry about-”

“Don’t.”

Ilia had silenced her almost immediately, brushing away the remaining tears from Blake’s eyes. 

“Don’t ever apologise for this. I’m always here, okay?”

Blake sighed a little but her smiled widened a fraction, a fond look in her eyes that Ilia couldn’t quite discern. Not that it’s the time for it.

“I know. Thanks Ilia,” she replied softly.

Ilia smiled lightly, reaching for both of Blake’s hands and rubbing her thumbs along the back of them.

“Are you going to be okay for training tonight?”

After a moment of pause, Blake nodded.

“We still have a few hours. I’ll be okay by then," she mumbled, meeting Ilia's quirked eyebrow. "If not, I'll tell you. I promise."

 

Ilia seemed to drop it then, but the concern she felt hadn’t fully faded. But she trusted Blake, they’d been through enough together that she knew Blake would open up if she need be. At least, Ilia hoped she would.

 

///

 

_ 3:52pm _

 

The pair of Faunus had spent their day on the couch, a cooking show playing on the TV and filling the small apartment with background noise. Ilia sat straight on one end of the couch, Blake laying across the length of the couch, her head resting on Ilia’s lap.

 

Although she had stopped crying hours ago, Blake wasn’t feeling her best. The hands gently running through her hair was definitely helping though.

Blake let out a soft hum, causing Ilia to chuckle as she fiddled with the soft, sable strands. She let a light smile take over her lips, a wanted juxtaposition from the crying fit a few hours earlier.

 

“What time do you want to head to training?” the chameleon asked softly, causing amber eyes to flutter open. 

“Well, we have to be ready to skate by 5, and it was around 10 minutes to drive there,” the feline started, thinking through the process out loud.

“True, but a lot of the girls get there earlier to gear up,” Ilia chipped in, her hands continuing to play with the fine strands.

“How’d you find that out?” Blake asked, turning her head to look up at Ilia briefly, a sense of warmth overflowing her to see Ilia smiling softly down at her.

“Ruby told me.”

“Ruby?”

Ilia chuckled just a little, shaking her head softly. “The girl that was with us. Remember the one that all the team knew? Black and red hair, voice like an anime character.”

“The one with the red hoodie?” Blake clarified, realising who Ilia meant.

“That’s the one. Really sweet but very hyper. Apparently Yang is her sister.”

 

Blake frowned a little, rolling over to lay on her back and watch the chameleon.

“Yang Bang? The one you were gawking at the whole time?” The feline teased, watching how in the moment of silence Ilia’s freckles turned pink.

“L-Like I was the only one!” Ilia defended, Blake chuckling softly before Ilia followed. Once their laughter subsided, Blake finally hauled herself up into a sitting position. 

“Well, if you want to get there earlier to stare at cute girls, I’m more than happy to accommodate,” Blake teased, standing up and walking down to her room. “Have you got a change of clothes for training?”

“Probably, I’ve basically stolen one of your drawers.”

 

///

 

“Alrighty ladies, it’s 5pm! On the track!”

Glynda, Yang Bang and Thunder Thighs were already on the track, doing a few laps. Blake popped in her mouthguard, casting a glance over to Ilia who was adjusting her wrist guard. Once the pair were ready, they stood on their old skates, slowly making their way out on the rink. Glynda soon exited, moving to sit with the small ginger girl who had also joined with them, leaving the pair of them and Ruby the only new skaters on the track.

Speaking of the devil-

 

“Hi Ilia!” A voice chirped, almost making Blake jump, looking over both shoulders before seeing the girl she guessed was Ruby on the other side of Ilia.

“Oh, hey Ruby. Ready for this?” Ilia asked, Blake watching as Ruby was enthralled in their little conversation.

“Absolutely! I’ve been waiting ages to finally start training, so I’m really excited,” the redhead admitted.

Ilia chuckled a little before turning back to Blake, a sly smile on her lips.

 

“I just realised you two haven’t met properly yet,” she hummed, sending Blake a small wink, the feline rolling her eyes knowingly.

_ Here she goes, helping me talk to people again. _

“Ruby, this is my best friend Blake. Blake, this is Ruby.”

Blake finally looked over, see an awkward young girl, easily two or three years younger than her, waving and smiling warmly at her.

“It’s really nice to meet you!” she chirped, causing Blake to smile back.

“Lovely to meet you too Ruby,” Blake hummed, before another figure skated up to them.

 

“Aww, look Nora! They’re already skating in a pack!”

_ Yang Bang. _

“Yaaaaang we haven’t even started yet!” Ruby cried, watching as the blonde transitioned to skate backwards in front of the three.

“Well, it’ll be easier when you do finally learn it,” Yang sassed back, shooting her sister a teasing grin. After a moment, sultry lilac eyes looked over the two Faunus and in a split moment when amber met lilac, Blake felt her heart jump into her throat.

 

_ Oh no. Calm down Blake, you're literally getting nervous over nothing. _

 

“And who are these lovely ladies Ruby?”

Before either Ilia or Blake could respond, Ruby butted in.

“This is Blake and this is Ilia!”

 

Yang looked at both of them, a smirk turning into a soft smile. Blake couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking, only vague ideas. 

“I remember you two. Excited for training?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Blake could see Ilia struggling not to turn pink but somehow she managed to answer.

“That’s...one word for it,” the chameleon offered shyly, causing laughter like bells to sound from Yang’s lips.

“Nah, it’s nothing to worry about. I know it can be little overwhelming, but all the girls are gonna help you every step of the way,” the blonde told them, turning back around once Glynda blew her whistle.

 

“Amitola! Can you come over here for a second?”

Ilia visibly paled before Yang quickly jumped in to reassure her. 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. It’s just Glynda rechecking details you gave at Fresh Meat; just to double check them.”

 

After that, the chameleon nodded, visibly more relaxed before slowly making her way off the rink and over to Glynda. Ruby skated next to Blake, the two taking a steady pace and watching Nora and Yang race one another on the outside part of the track.

“I’m guessing she’s why you’ve wanted to join so bad?” Blake questioned, seeing Ruby wistfully watch after her big sister. Ruby merely smiled a little, turning back for a brief moment.

“You have no idea. Just think, in a few months time, we’re going to be able to do stuff like that too.”

 

Honestly, that thought was both terrifying and exhilarating to Blake. Either way, her heart was pounding a lot harder than it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //hi guys! bit shorter than I wanted this one to be; uni has been kicking my ass but exams are almost over and I'll be writing a lot more over the break! hope you guys enjoyed this chapter: let me know what you guys liked and what you think will happen next! also just to clarify: by chips and cheese I mean 'fries' with melted cheese for all you Americans reading ;P until next time! - blackberrycigarettes


	4. Stalling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter - Without Me by Halsey

“So we’ve only just started relearning to skate in a straight line on flat ground, and somehow going to the skate bowl is a good idea?”

Stuck in traffic, Ilia took her eyes off the road to look at Blake with raised eyebrows.

“Well, there’s the outdoor rink there too, so we don’t have to go to the bowl itself,” the feline tried to reason, fiddling with the padding in her lap (Nora had lent them a pair of elbow, wrist and knee pads and a helmet each). “Besides, we’re not going to be the only ones there.”

“Who else is going to be there?”

“Yang and Ruby. It was their idea, remember?”

 

Ilia paused, the changing down of a gear in place of her reply. “You didn’t tell me that,” she replied, a tone of confusion in her voice.

The indicator clicked, Ilia watching behind her before changing lanes. Blake furrowed her eyebrows, looking from the road ahead to her friend. 

“I didn’t?”

Ilia shook her head, changing down gears to turn a corner. “Nope. All you asked me was if I wanted to go to the skate bowl with you today.”

 

Blake was silent for a moment, as Ilia pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop, yanking the handbrake upwards with a little more force than necessary. 

Silence filled the space as the engine ceased revving, the pair looking to one another. Ilia sighed a little, pressing the button to release her seatbelt. 

“Do you know what time they’re getting here?”

“Let me check,” the feline replied, pulling her phone out and scrolling back through messages. Ilia watched on, trying to ignore the feeling of her sinking stomach. 

The name “Ruby” sat at the top of the page, and Blake had to scroll back a fair while to find the message she was looking for.

 

_ How long had they been talking? _

 

“They’re already here apparently.”

Ilia snapped out of her spiraling thoughts, watching Blake unbuckle her seatbelt and open her car door. Shaking it off, she opened her own door, closing it and locking it with a click of a button. Looking up, her shoulders relaxed as she saw Blake still waiting for her.

“You doing okay?” the feline asked once they started walking to the rink. Ilia nodded automatically, trying to spot Ruby and Yang and desperately trying to avoid those concerned amber eyes that were watching.

“Yeah. C’mon, we shouldn’t keep them waiting,” she replied.

 

The silence between them was filled with only the crunch of grass from their feet. After a little while of walking, a yellow figure could be spotted, accompanied by the sound of scraping wheels on the cement and the occasional clunk of metal as she hit the coping of the bowl. Off to the side, another red flash was lapping the flat track. Ruby stopped after another lap, grabbing the rails on the side before moving her arm frantically. 

“Blaaaake! Iliaaaa! Over here!” she cried, finally stopping her waving once Blake reached up and waved back.

“I definitely know what you mean by ‘voice like an anime character’ now. She’s really excitable,” Blake chuckled softly into Ilia’s ear. Grey eyes rolled in response, lightly laughing as the pair reached the rink. 

“I’m so happy you guys could make it!” Ruby chirped. “How are you feeling after last night?”

 

Ilia visibly cringed at the thought of sore muscles. 

 

“Feeling like I still need another bath,” she muttered, prompting the redhead to chuckle in response.

“Well, this will hopefully stretch your muscles out a little! Either that or make them worse but let’s hope for the former!”

Ilia rolled her eyes playfully, setting down her skates before digging through her backpack for her gear. 

 

“How often do you guys come here? Seems pretty empty,” Blake remarked, tying her long dark hair into a ponytail.

Ruby shrugged, casting her eyes into the distance for a second before looking back at the two Faunus.

“Honestly it kinda varies. Yang always comes to the bowl when something’s up, and I always come along to get some practice in,” Ruby admitted, moving to sit down in front of them, fidgeting with the strap of her wrist guard.

 

Ilia furrowed her eyebrows a little, looking up at Ruby from her gear. 

“Is she doing okay?” Blake asked before Ilia had the chance.

“She’s okay, just frustrated with some stuff. Coming here usually clears her head, so there’s no need to worry!” the redhead reassured them.

 

The feline cast a look in the direction of the ramp but Ilia couldn’t look away from Blake. She felt a twinge in her chest that she immediately ignored, focusing on pulling her knee pads up her calves to where they needed to sit.

“Hopefully this will help,” Blake mused before finally turning back around as the pair began to put on the rest of their gear.

“Nah don’t worry about her to much; we’ve got stuff to practice!” Ruby cheered, starting her laps again. “Make sure to stretch before you jump on here!”

Ilia rolled her eyes a little, attempting to fight the smile on her lips as she finished gearing up. Following Ruby’s advice, Ilia straightened one leg out to her side and folded the other in, leaning her body over in a stretch. 

 

“Argh!”

The sound of toe-stops scraping along the ground sounded from the bowl, causing Ruby to halt as all three girls looked over to the blonde. Yang stared dejectedly at the ground, hands on her hips as deep exhales caused her chest and shoulders to rise then sag.

“Yang? Are you okay?” Ruby called, skating to the edge of the rink and peering out towards her sister.

Blake watched Yang stiffen slightly as her name was called, before she raised her head and found Ruby with violet eyes. She raised her hand with a thumbs up before looking back towards the ramp.

 

“C’mon Blake, you can gawk at Blondie later,” the feline heard her friend grumble, watching as Ilia hauled herself off the ground and slowly roll towards Ruby. Blake’s eyebrows drew together, watching her friend roll away, unable to see her face. But Blake didn’t miss the faint tinge of green that washed over Ilia’s skin.

 

///

 

“That’s it, you’ve got it!” Ruby cheered, both arms extended to the sky in glee. Ilia and Blake had been practising their T-starts and T-stops that they had been taught during training. Blake, seeming to have retained her old skating skill, had got the skills under her belt fairly quickly.

Ilia, on the other hand, was struggling. But somehow, she seemed to have done it.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips as she looked down at her skates.

 

“I don’t know Ruby, I have a feeling that one was just a fluke,” she reasoned.

“Then try to do it again,” Blake suggested, standing by the edge of the track with a bottle of water. She claimed to have needed a break,  _ work’s really fatigued me lately _ , she had said. But in reality, she was worried. Worried about why Ilia was so short with her earlier, and the fact she had only met Blake’s eyes a handful of times since they had arrived at the rink. So she stayed at the edge of the rink, watching for clues that might have given a hint as to why her friend was acting this way. 

 

Ilia’s shoulders rose and fell with a deep sigh, placing her feet back into a T position like they had been taught.

“Keep your knees bent, and push off slowly…” Ruby murmured softly, watching Ilia’s actions intensely. Ilia pushed off with her back foot, keeping her balance on her front with a soft laugh.

“That’s it! Now place your foot down slow- slower!”

Ilia retracted her foot slightly, slow dragging her wheels behind her before she came to a stop.

 

“...I did it!” the chameleon cheered, raising two fists into the sky in victory. Ruby looked ready to jump for joy, skating over to Ilia to wrap her in a hug.

 

“You did it, you did it, you did it and you were so solid! Ahh I’m so proud of youuuuu!” the young girl cheered, punctuating her sentence with a slight squeeze, prompting Ilia to chuckle. Admittedly a little unexpected, the contact was actually enjoyed by the chameleon, causing her to shyly hug back.

“Couldn’t have done it without you Ruby,” she stated once the hug broke. Ruby merely waved a hand in response.  
  


“Of course you could have!”

“You shouldn’t doubt yourself so much Ilia,” Blake perked up, slowly skating over to the pair. “You’re picking this up really quickly.”

Ilia turned the slightest shade of pink, smiling over at her friend. “Not as quickly as you, but thanks.”

 

“Ah buh buh bah. None of this comparing stuff,” Ruby butted in. “First thing you gotta know about derby: the only one you should be comparing yourself to is who you were yesterday!”

 

“Geez, I wonder which TV series you stole that one from.”

Yang leaned against the railings that surrounded the outside of the rink, arms folded against the metal as she watched the other three girls. A slight sheen of sweat was dusted over her skin, a light smirk on pink lips. Blake noticed she seemed a lot less on edge than earlier.

Ruby grumbled slightly, crossing her arms defensively. “I stole that one off you if you need to know about it.”

Yang chuckled lowly, straightening up and watching them. 

 

“So, sounds like you guys made progress if Ruby’s cheering is anything to go by,” she hummed.

“Ilia’s starting to nail her T-starts and stops,” Blake hummed as Yang skated towards the group.

The girl in question rubbed the back of her neck nervously, eyes flicking down to her skates before up to Yang. 

“They still need a lot of work. I think if I tried to used that stop while going any faster, I’d snap my ankle,” she admitted.

The blond softly smiled in reassurance, shifting her feet beneath her.

 

“Don’t worry too much, we mainly teach it to help you guys progress into other starts and stops. Also so you actually have a way of stopping,” Yang chuckled. “I haven’t seen people used T-stops or starts once they learn the other ways.”

“Thank the gods for that,” Ilia mumbled under her breath, causing the other three to chuckle.

“You’ll find your niche eventually, and once you do you can use it. Just make sure you don’t neglect the other stuff either,” Yang assured Ilia. 

 

“Yaaaaang, can you help me with my turnaround toe stops pleaseeeee?” Ruby whined, shoulders sagging cartoonishly. 

Lilac eyes rolled in amusement, gesturing her head towards the other end of the rink.

“Start over there Rubes, skate this way and stop before you reach us.”

 

Ruby nodded, skating towards the other end as the blonde turned towards the two Faunus.

“How you feeling after your first training?” she asked smoothly. “Think you’ll stick with it?”

 

Ilia and Blake looked at each other, Ilia offering a slight shrug. 

“I think if I can get past this whole ‘comparing myself to others’ thing, I’ll really enjoy it. So yeah,” Ilia answered and Yang’s face was overtaken with a smile.

“Excellent,” she breathed, before lilac eyes moved to amber. “What about you Blake?”

 

Blake had to remember once Yang looked at her but she let a small smirk slip over her lips. 

“I think I can be persuaded to stay,” she almost purred. 

Yang’s face lit up, mirroring the smirk on Blake’s lips.

 

“Yaaaaaang!”

 

Blonde eyebrows raised, remembering the whole reason was at the other side of the rink. Turning around, she gave her little sister a thumbs up.

“Go for it Rubes!”

 

Ruby started skating towards them, picking up speed quickly. Eventually, Ruby transitioned to skate backwards before planting her toe stops when-

 

“Aaaaah!” Ruby’s body weight shifted too far backwards, leaving her teetering on her back toe-stop. Yang acted like lightning, speeding behind her sister before halting and catching her before she fell too far.

 

“Woah woah woah, you’re okay!”

Ruby sighed dejectedly, leaning into Yang’s hold. “See? I always overbalance!”

 

“Cuz you’re relying on your back toestop Sis,” Yang explained, helping Ruby stand back upright. “Put a little more weight onto your front foot and you’ll be fine. Watch me do it real quick, okay?”

As Ruby nodded, Yang headed to the other side of the track, before skating back towards the group.

 

“Keep your core locked, and remember your nice deep lunge,” Yang explained, spinning before dropping a lunge on her toe stops as she came to a halt.

 

“How does she make that look so easy?” Ilia whispered to Blake, bringing the feline back into reality. 

“Probably because she’s been skating for years?” she whispered back, Ilia only replying with a slight shrug. 

 

“Wanna gear down Rubes? I thought you were going tonight, you gotta get ready soon,” Yang asked, bending down a little to look Ruby in the eye. The younger sister nodded before skating a few laps the opposite way. Yang turned to the two Faunus, tilting her head in a gesture for them to join. 

 

“C’mon ladies, couple of opposite direction laps and we’ll gear down.”

Once they started skating (albeit a little slowly, Yang kindly slowing her pace to stay with them), Ilia turned to Yang.

“Why laps this way? I thought we only needed to skate derby direction.”

 

“Because if we can do something one way, why shouldn’t we be able to do it the other way?” Yang asked. “Derby players have a tendency to have more developed muscles on one side from skating the same direction. Drives me nuts, so Thunder and I are trying to bring more drills in the opposite direction into play. Plus it really helps if you can nail a skill both directions.”

 

“So  _ that’s _ why Pyrrha’s back is- I mean- uhhhh,” Ruby murmured, ending her sentence with cheeks as red as her hoodie.

 

“Save the details sis - c’mon let’s gear down.”

  
  


///

  
  


“Yang? Does this look okay?”

Yang peered up from her phone, seeing Ruby standing in her bedroom doorway. Dressed in a black band t-shirt, dark wash skinny jeans and a red and black flannel, Ruby shrugged a little.

“It looks good Rubes. It’s only Pyrrha anyways; plus you know how much she likes seeing you in her flannel,” the blonde reasoned, giving Ruby a soft smile. Ruby’s shoulders didn’t seem so tight after hearing that, moving to sit next to Yang on her bed.

“I know but- she seemed a little distant when she rung earlier. I just hope that everything’s okay,” the younger sister mused.

 

“Just ask her about it. You know Pyr isn’t exactly the best liar,” Yang joked softly, before a knock on the door sounded. 

“Speak of the devil, that’s probably her. Want me to walk you out?”

“Nah it’s only Pyrrha. I’ll be home tomorrow sometime,” Ruby assured Yang, giving her a warm squeeze before retrieving her backpack from beside the door.

 

“Text me when you get there, have fun!” she called, listening to Ruby walk down the stairs. Going back to her phone, she scrolled through her social media absentmindedly, listening to Pyrrha’s car start before slowly driving away.

 

_ Should probably text Emerald. It’s not like her to drop off the face of the planet like this, _ Yang thought, searching through her friend’s list to find her when she noticed something.

 

Cinder was gone from the list.

 

So was Emerald. 

 

“What?” Yang asked herself aloud, searching both of their names but finding nothing.

_ Did they...remove me? But why? _

 

Yang closed her phone, rubbing her hands along her face and trying to ground herself.

“It’s fine, they’re probably just doing one of those weird media detox things again,” she mumbled to herself, feeling her hands starting to shake slightly. Shit. 

 

Hauling herself off her bed, she headed into the bathroom, reaching for the containers which held all her medicine.

“Okay, at least I remembered to take my meds today,” she muttered, putting them back before turning on the faucet. Cupping her hands underneath the running water, she took a few large gulps of the water before turning off the tap. The shaking still wasn’t gone.

 

“Fuck!” she growled, throwing herself back onto her bed. Thoughts of why they deleted her swarmed her head. Thoughts of why they left the team began to choke her consciousness. Thoughts of what she might of done wrong began to possess every string of thought. A wracked sob escaped her lips, promptly causing her to slap a hand over her mouth.

 

_ Dad’s at Summer’s grave tonight. I’m home alone right now. _

 

Feeling herself soften, she slowly began to let the facade drop.

 

Yang prided herself on being an open book. All of her friends knew her to be warm and honest and open. Yang would never lie to them. Yang would never hide anything from them. But she was.

 

Yang Xiao Long was not okay. She was far from it.

 

Another sob escaped her chest but Yang didn’t hide it this time. She let herself sob, she let the shakes threaten to break her chest wide open and she let the tears blur her sight until all she saw was blobs of colour that wasn’t as bright as it used to be.

 

Chronic Depression they called it. Yang called it a pain in the ass. A burden she called herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //oooh boi its been a while. thanks for reading this chapter! apologies that it took so long, life threw a bit of a curve ball at me so I'm trying to pick up the pieces and get back into writing. in terms of RWBY i am LOVING this volume so far! what are you thoughts? any ideas what the upcoming episodes are going to be like?
> 
> in terms of derby, i am now officially a full bouting skater and played my first tournament in October, got myself a derby wife and am starting to refine my skills and find what I'm good at. definitely think I'll be a blocker. even better, I will attending a big 3 day derby bootcamp here in down under AND i'll be meeting two top level skaters through my league. Lady Trample and Scald Eagle. AAA!!! 
> 
> anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! let me know what you think is going to happen next! if you wanna keep up with the ramblings or talk about this story, head over to my tumblr! @lemoniriss. see you in the next chapter- lemon x


	5. Tomahawks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter: Daddy Issues by The Neighborhood (doesn't affect the chapter too much but I was listening to a slowed version of this song on repeat while I wrote. Maybe it shows?)

Pyrrha was quiet the whole drive over. And Ruby wasn’t usually the type to get worried.

 

Looks like both things were different tonight.

 

It had already been two weeks since Ruby brought up Pyrrha with Yang and the blonde thought whatever might have happened would have blown over by now. After all, Ruby hadn’t said anything after that.

 

Things, however, weren’t exactly blown over.

Training sessions always seemed to make the two distant, and even their usual movie dates were more awkward than usual. Hence why Ruby ‘no worries’ Rose, was indeed worried.

 

“We’re here love,” Pyrrha hummed, snapping Ruby out of her spiralling thoughts. Looking over, Pyrrha was watching her with soft green eyes that looked almost...sad?

 

“Oh! Uh, okay! Sorry I was just-” Ruby didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence, watching Pyrrha open her car door and step out.

 

If she wasn’t freaking out before, Ruby was freaking out now.

 

“Pyr?” she called, hurriedly undoing her seatbelt and opening the car door to follow after her. Pyrrha was walking towards the front door of her apartment, leaving Ruby to close the car door and jog to catch up with her girlfriend. “Pyrrha what’s going on?”

 

Pyrrha’s walking eventually slowed, staying on the front porch as she waited for Ruby. 

 

“Nothing Ruby I’m just- I’m just a little stressed about the bout with the team from Argus. Last time we played them we had a bigger rotation,” the tall redhead tried, looking down at Ruby and giving her a slight smile.

 

“Pyrrha, you’ve taken on that team without batting an eye. Yeah, obviously we’ve got a different rotation now but we still have a lot of talented skaters on the team!” Ruby reasoned, standing in front of her girlfriend and looking up, arms folded over her chest.

 

“That’s not the only thing on your mind, is it?”

 

Pyrrha sighed again, reaching for the doorknob and turning it. 

 

“I’m fine Ruby, it’s nothing,” she offered noncommittally, moving inside as Ruby followed her.

 

“Pyrrha please, not you too,” the shorter girl grumbled. “I already have Yang lying to my face about stuff like this, I don’t need you this!”

 

“Yeah, you don’t need me, do you?” 

 

Ruby froze, processing what Pyrrha had said. The taller redhead never lashed out. She was never rude to anyone that didn’t deserve it and she  _ hated _ being hostile towards anyone. But now she was standing with her back to Ruby, shoulders tensed, fists clenched and venom in her voice.

 

“P-Pyrrha?” 

  
  


///

 

_ 8:22pm _

 

“Anything else tonight?” Blake asked, handing over a scotch glass to the regular.

 

“Nope. On the tab sweetheart,” he grumbled before his hunched shoulders disappeared into the crowd. Adding the drink to his tab, Blake turned to one of her co-workers.

 

“If that guy comes back for any more, cut him off okay? He’s drunk through a whole bottle of whiskey in a few hours,” Blake told her, receiving a two finger salute in response. 

 

“Righty-o then,” she replied, giving Blake a sharp tooth grin, brushing back a loose strand of lime green before tending to another customer.

 

Wandering to the other end of the bar and finding it empty, Blake stacked empty glasses left on the bar, walking back to dishwasher before-

 

“Hey Blake!”

 

Blake’s heart jumped into her throat, and the glasses almost hit the floor. Scrambling to keep the glasses in hand, she paused before turning to see the source of the voice.

 

“Y-Yang? How the  _ hell _ did you-?”

 

“Uhh hi Blake.”

 

Blake had to look twice to see if the scene in front of her was indeed true. Ilia was there, still in her uniform as usual, but almost an hour before she usually arrived. To add to the surprise, Yang stood before her, in black jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather jacket.

 

Amber eyes darted between the two girls, quirking her eyebrows in surprise before addressing the pair.

 

“Anyone want to explain what’s going on?” the feline mused, crossing her arms over her chest. The blonde looked to Ilia before walking up to the bar, and sitting on a stool with a smirk. 

 

“Well, you see Blakey-”

 

“Don’t call me that.”

 

“I was just cruising the streets, enjoying the beautiful Vale night scenery; didn’t wanna go home yet y’know? The night’s still young so  _ anyway, _ I was turning a corner, the really sharp one on Amsterdam Road, aaaaand I kinda almost didn’t see Ilia and almost ran her over?”

 

An eternity of silence passed between the three of them. It was only 10 seconds of Blake looking back and forth between the pair of them but it felt like years longer.

 

“You two are here because you almost ran Ilia over?” Blake tried, her voice a calm and neutral tone that made Yang more nervous than it should have.

 

“Well...yeah, that’s basically it.”

 

“It’s not all bad Blake,” Ilia assured her, sitting up on the stool next to Yang, one hand rubbing the back of her neck.

 

“After she almost...well, after that she pulled over and apologised about fifty billion times and asked where I was headed. I told her I was coming here to see you and she gave me a lift.”

 

Blake sighed a little, rolling her eyes with amusement. 

 

“You put way too much faith in people’s driving skills Ilia,” she hummed, stalking away to grab a glass of water and Ilia’s usual order. Once she returned and placed it down in front of her chameleon friend, the feline then turned to the blonde.

 

“Would you like anything?” she asked. Lilac eyes filled with mirth and soft pink lips pulled up in a smirk.

 

“Oh, I would like a  _ lot _ of things,” the blonde hummed, shooting the feline Faunus a wink. Blake looked extremely unimpressed.

 

“I meant would you like a drink. If I should even give you one considering what I’ve already heard from your driving.”

 

Yang gasped in mock offense, bringing a gloved hand up to her chest. 

 

“You fiend Blake, you wound me! And here I was thinking we were friends!”

 

“She won’t call you a friend until you’ve seen her drink tequila,” Ilia mused, taking a sip of her drink with a slight smirk.

Yang suppressed a laugh before looking back at Blake with a fond smile.

 

“Just a Coke please.”

 

Blake mirrored the smile, taking a glass and preparing the drink.

 

“Seems like you bounce back from wounds fairly quickly,” she hummed, placing the glass in front of the blonde.

 

“Pfft, tis but a scratch,”  Yang shrugged in reply, taking out some loose change from her pocket.

 

“A scratch? Your arm’s off,” Blake mumbled under her breath, causing Ilia to start giggling.

 

“I  _ knew _ that you were still awake when we watched that movie!” Ilia exclaimed.

 

“How could I not? You were tipsy and quoted the entire movie from start to finish,” Blake mused in reply, pushing the change back towards Yang.

 

“I wasn’t tipsy, I’d only had..3? 4?”

 

“Ilia, you were prancing around my room pretending that two of my mugs were coconuts.”

 

Yang almost choked on her drink, laughing quietly at the banter.

 

“Remind me to get you two drunk around Weiss, her personality does a complete 180.”

 

Blake and Ilia looked at each other confused before turning back to Yang.

 

“Weiss?” Blake asked, stacking glasses onto a tray to be washed.

 

“Ohh derby names, whoops. Snow Spite. About Ilia’s height, white hair, biggest femme lesbian in all of Vale?”

 

Blake let out a soft ‘ahh’, realising which team member Yang was now talking about.

 

“I knew she was gay,” the chameleon mumbled softly, causing Blake to snicker lightly.

 

“Your gaydar was always pretty good,” she teased gently.

 

“Hey it’s roller derby: everyone’s a little bit gay,” Yang mused, before taking another sip of her drink.

 

Blake opened her mouth in reply before someone else cut her off.

“Blake? Boss wants to see you.”

 

The feline turned to her British co-worker, who gestured her head towards the back of house.

 

Blake turned back to Yang and Ilia, offering them a half-hearted smile.

 

“I’ll be right back. Excuse me.”

 

////

 

“P-Pyrrha?” Ruby almost whispered. This was a scene so unfamiliar to her. Pyrrha was always filled with warmth and kindness, but now Pyrrha refused to look at her. Feeling her heart sink in her stomach, Ruby took a deep breath and decided to fix this. 

Hopefully.

 

Slowly creeping around Pyrrha to stand at her front, the smaller girl slowly reached down and intertwined their fingers. 

“Talk to me Pyr. I wanna help you. I wanna fix what I did,” she mumbled, pressing silver eyes meeting reluctant green ones. The green wasn’t as bright as Ruby remembered.

 

A soft sigh escaped Pyrrha’s lips,her head shaking slightly.

 

“You’ve done nothing wrong wrong love,” she whispered, her shoulders sagging. “You’ve never done me wrong and I shouldn’t be angry with you and- I’m not angry with you it’s just-”

 

“Hey it’s okay. Take your time,” Ruby mumbled softly, kissing their intertwined fingers softly. “C’mon, let’s sit down and talk about it okay?”

 

The tall redhead nodded slightly, leading Ruby to sit down with her on the couch. Pyrrha sat with her back against the cushion, extending one arm along the back of the couch. Ruby sat in the open spot, softly leaning her head against Pyrrha’s shoulder and reaching for her free hand, threading their fingers together.

 

A silence fell over the room, a tension so thick between them that Pyrrha almost choked. Closing her eyes for a moment, she felt her chest expand with a deep breath, slowly letting it out and fixing her gaze on her and Ruby’s hand. Ruby had started rubbing her thumb along her skin, causing her a smile softly, pausing before finally speaking.

 

“I’ve been jealous.”

 

Ruby’s thumb never stilled, but the taller woman could feel silver eyes burning into her.

 

“Jealous of who?”

 

“Penny.”

 

Ruby’s thumb stilled then. 

 

A gentle hand moved to cup Pyrrha’s cheek, coaxing her to look over at Ruby.

 

“Why would you be jealous of Penny when I’m with you?”

 

Pyrrha’s eyes softened a little, leaning her cheek into the calloused skin of Ruby’s hand. A breath escaping her, she closed her eyes once more, trying to focus on the feeling.

 

“I know I shouldn’t have been. You two are close but not in that way but- you’ve been a little distant. And I know things haven’t been easy lately but I guess I got scared that-”

 

“You thought I was replacing you with Penny.” Ruby mumbled. Pyrrha could only nod in response. Two small arms wound around Pyrrha’s neck, Ruby’s small figure shifting into Pyrrha’s lap. Strong arms held Ruby close, Pyrrha breathing in the scent of her girlfriend’s strawberry shampoo. With a deep exhale, Pyrrha squeezed Ruby tighter.

 

“Pyr, why didn’t you just say something?”

 

“Because I didn’t want you to feel like this,” she whispered, placing a soft kiss onto Ruby’s hair.  “It’s not your fault I get scared or insecure and you shouldn’t have to fix it.”

 

“I know but I still wanna help,” Ruby insisted, loosening her grip to rest her forehead on Pyrrha’s. The green didn’t look so sad anymore and that gave Ruby hope. “You’re my girlfriend; I’m supposed to look after you every now and then.”

 

Pyrrha sighed, smiling softly at the girl in her lap. 

 

“But who’s looking after you?” she chuckled, knowing Ruby was adamant when it came to those she cared for.

 

“Yang and Dad. And you. And Weiss and the rest of team. And Mom too,” Ruby mumbled. “Well obviously she can’t because...but she helps somehow. She makes the bad stuff hurt less. Does that make sense or is it crazy?”

 

Pyrrha nodded slightly, kissing Ruby’s forehead gently. “It makes sense. And just in case things still hurt, I’m always here for you.”

 

Ruby smiled warmly, playing idly with bright red hair and drawing closer to the woman in her arms. As their lips met softly, Ruby could feel Pyrrha’s tension ease and even felt her smile into the kiss. They parted slowly, soft smiles on two separate pairs of lips.

 

“Thanks for talking about this with me Pyr,” Ruby mumbled with a light smile.

 

“Thank you for listening. And for not listening to my stubbornness,” the taller woman teased lightly, hands coming to tickle Ruby’s ribs.

 

“Ahh! Pyrrha nooooo you’ve betrayed me, how could-” Ruby’s protests were stopped by a wave of laughter coming from her lips, soon matched by Pyrrha.

 

And in that moment, everything was okay again.

 

///

 

_ Knock knock knock! _

 

“Come in!”

 

Blake hesitantly opened the door, seeing her manager sitting down on a plush office chair.

 

“Miss Belladonna, you needn’t look so nervous sweetheart,” she crooned, brushing back a piece of blonde hair, her spider web tattoo shifting and moving with her shoulder.

 

“Sorry Ms Malachite,” the feline apologised, intertwining her hands in front of her. “Tock said that you asked to see me?”

 

“Yes honey, there seems to be a little bit of an issue.”

 

_ Oh no. No no no no I can’t lose my job, I need the money I- _

 

“Not with you specifically. You’re an excellent worker, have nothing to fear about that,” the plump blonde clarified.

 

“Miss Belladonna, around 6 months ago, you asked this workplace to place a ban on a Mr Adam Taurus, preventing him from entering this facility or any other facility within this franchise.”

 

“Y-Yes I did,” Blake murmured, a pit beginning to form in her stomach.

 

“I’m sorry Blake, but that ban expires at the end of this week. There’s only 3 days left.”

 

Blake swore Miss Malachite would be able to pinpoint the exact moment her blood froze.

Out in the bar, Ilia and Yang alternated between light conversation to staring at the door which Blake had disappeared into.

 

“You guys are close?” Yang brought it up, finishing up her drink. Ilia nodded in reply.

 

“We met when we were 14. Got put together in a seating plan and stuck together against all the shitty people at school. We’ve been close ever since,” the chameleon explained. “Doesn’t feel like it’s been as long as it has but-” she trailed off with a shrug, taking another sip of her drink.

 

“May I ask how old you two are?”

 

“Blake turns 23 in November.”

 

“And you?”

 

A pause. A blush.

 

“23 in a week.”

 

Yang smiled warmly, nudging Ilia gently with her elbow. “That’s awesome! Got anything planned? I’m great with parties if you ever need a hand.”

 

Ilia mirrored Yang’s expression, opening her mouth to reply before a noise distracted her. Up on the back counter behind the bar, the chameleon could see Blake’s phone ringing. Focusing her eyesight, she could just make out the number that had appeared on screen.

 

“Oh no.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //another chapter? so soon? wahhhhhh? i know, I surprised myself too. it's a bit shorter than usual but there's a bit more Milk and Cereal and we get a little bit more insight into the lives of the girls. for those readers who know derby, the next chapter is going to be the bout! hope you guys enjoyed! let me know what you thought of it and what you think is going to happen next! i don't think I'll be updating this often all the time but it will definitely be more regular than it was. see you in the next chapter! - lemon x


	6. Power Jam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter - Fire by The Faim

“Blake?”

 

Blake snapped out of reverie, looking back at Miss Malachite.

 

“U-Uh yes. I understand. Thank you for letting me know,” Blake murmured. Miss Malachite nodded slowly, not entirely how Blake felt about the matter but not wanting to press.

 

“I’m afraid that we can’t do much more at the moment Miss Belladonna. But if you were to go to the police-”

 

“That won’t be necessary. T-Thank you though.”

 

Blake couldn’t get out of that office fast enough.

 

Heading back into the bar, she was met with a pair of lilac and grey eyes.

 

“Blake? Is everything okay?” Yang asked quietly, seeing that Blake and Ilia eyes were fixated on each other. Blake faintly shook her head, seeing Ilia’s glance dart from Blake’s phone back to her.

 

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine,” the feline tried, fists clenching and unclenching at her side. “I-I need to get back to work.” 

 

With that, Blake began walking away from the pair but didn’t get far.

 

“Blake!” Ilia whisper shouted, “You need to-”

 

“Just  _ drop _ it Ilia.”

 

 

Ilia almost didn’t believe the snarl had come from Blake’s mouth. Narrow amber eyes eventually looked away, the feline turning and stalking to the other end of the bar. The pair watched Blake hide her panic, turning on her customer service persona before serving another customer. 

Yang drew lilac eyes away from Blake, turning to Ilia who almost seemed to shrink in on herself.

 

“You okay?” the blonde asked quietly, searching for grey eyes that refused to meet hers.

 

“Yeah. It’s just- Blake’s been under a lot of pressure lately. And she never addresses any of it. She just runs away from it,” Ilia explained softly, rolling her shoulders and loosening her muscles. “And I hate that she won’t let me help her.” In all honesty, Yang had no idea what to do in this situation. She had only known the two Faunus for a few weeks and their conversations never really drifted past small talk. There was something they were hiding but it was way too soon for any of it to be revealed comfortably. 

But Yang was curious. Some days she thought she had an idea of went on in Ilia’s head, even Blake’s on a lucky day, but deep down knew she didn’t have a faintest of clues. As of now there wasn’t a lot she could do to help, so she stuck with what she knew.

 

 

“Do you wanna go home?” Yang offered gently. Ilia took a moment, looking at Blake longingly before turning back to Yang and nodding slowly.

 

“Yeah. Can I catch a ride with you?”

 

“Already planning on it,” Yang reassured the chameleon. “Get all your stuff and wait by the bike okay? I’m gonna talk to Blake real quick.” The statement seemed to fill Ilia with panic, grey eyes widening. 

 

“Yang please don’t-”

 

“I’m not gonna start anything, I promise,” the blonde explained softly. “I’m just gonna tell her I’m taking you home.”

 

 

Ilia seemed to soften at that, nodding and grabbing all of her things before walking out of the bar, her eyes angled down the entire time. Yang, still sitting, watched Blake’s eyes follow Ilia out the door, feline ears drooping ever so slightly. A pit formed in Yang’s stomach, knowing that whatever was happening was so much bigger than a talk with the feline’s boss and a badly timed phone call. She doubted she would ever know the extent of this force that drew Blake away from the world, but she’d be damned before she stood aside and let them suffer through it alone. Digging through the pockets of her leather jacket, her hands closed around a pen and a pile of sticky notes.

 

_ This is definitely not how I wanted to do this _ , Yang thought to herself, scribbling onto the pad before walking over to the feline. She was standing at the bar, fiddling with her fingers and staring at something on the back wall.

 

 

“Blake?”

 

Amber eyes snapped out of a trance, looking down into lilac.

 

“If you’re going to tell me I shouldn’t be working-”

 

“I was just telling you I’m driving Ilia home.”

 

Blake paused at that, a light sigh escaping her bitten lips.

 

“Okay. Thanks. Tell her I’m sorry and I’ll ring her in the morning.”

 

Yang nodded once before placing a yellow sticky note on the bar.

 

“I know we’ve only just met but I’m here if you need anything, okay?”    

 

Blake’s eyes flicked to the sticky note, softening just a touch before looking back up to the blonde.

 

“Thanks Yang.” 

 

Giving the Faunus a small two-fingered salute, Yang zipped up her jacket, and weaved her way through the growing crowd to reach the exit.

 

///

  
  


“Alright ladies, how are we feeling?”

 

At Glynda’s words, seven pairs of eyes looked up at their coach. Yang, Pyrrha, Weiss, Nora, Coco and Velvet paused their stretches, searching for answers amongst each other while Ruby looked on.

 

“I think we’ll be great!” Nora chirped, reaching to the sky and stretching out her arms. “We’ve beaten these guys heaps of times before, what’s one more?”

 

“Uhh maybe the fact we have half the team we used to?” Weiss drawled, rolling her eyes.

 

“Awe c’mon! We have 6, we’ll be fine.”

 

“That only leaves us with one sub,” Yang pointed out with a vacant expression. “And if we rotate jammers every jam then-”

 

“We’ve scrimmed with less,” Pyrrha spoke up, looking between Weiss and Yang. “We’re going to be okay guys.” The two women seemed to drop it at that, trusting their captain’s judgement.

 

“Coco? Velv?” Ruby asked them, sitting down with the rest of the team. “How you feeling?”

 

Coco rolled her shoulders back before lightly shrugging. “We have a small team but we’re solid. We know how to skate and play together; as long as we keep up our stamina, we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

 

“That being said, stamina is definitely something to watch this game. Blockers, it’s possible you could be playing every jam. It all depends on how our jammers are holding up and if we can rotate through,” Glynda started. “So Weiss, Velvet, make sure you’ve got plenty of energy and stay hydrated. We might need to have you block and then jam.”

 

“Got it,” Weiss replied before turning to Velvet. “Make sure your ankles are taped Velv.”

 

The rabbit Faunus nodded, showing the white-haired woman the strapping tape she had retrieved from her bag. 

 

“Way ahead of you Snow, but thanks though!”

 

“Start gearing up guys,” Pyrrha addressed the team, each player reaching into their respective bags for their gear, a subtle stench from someone’s unwashed gear. (They never named names, but chances are it was Nora). Lilac eyes wandered the room, catching movement of the door and seeing two girls walk in.

 

 

“Hey guys,” Ilia greeted, walking over to Glynda, Blake not too far behind.

 

Yang couldn’t help but let her eyes be drawn to the feline, scanning her face and finding a pair of sunken amber eyes ringed with purple. 

 

Amber met lilac, Yang offering Blake a reassuring smile. It had been a couple of days since the incident at the bar, and Yang still had no idea what had happened. All she knew that a chat with her boss and a single phone call sent shakes throughout Blake’s whole being and made Ilia more on edge than the blonde had ever seen her (which was saying something considering the anxiety Ilia often showed at training sessions).

 

“Hey,” the feline murmured, walking towards Yang. She smiled and it was the most heartbreaking thing Yang had seen, watching someone fall apart on the inside but hide behind a brave face.

 

 

“Hey there,” the blonde hummed, strapping on her knee guards. “Ready to watch some derby?”

 

“Yes. Ruby gave us a brief rundown of the rules so we’ll have a vague idea of what is happening,” Blake explained, casting a glimpse to Ilia.

 

“Trust Ruby. She and Glynda are benching this game.”

 

“Benching?” the feline asked.

 

“Benchies communicate with the jammer. They can see the game in its entirety so they’re best suited to making the calls.If they want something done, they let us know and we make it happen,” Weiss piped up from beside Yang. Yang shrugged in agreement before reaching for her skates.

 

“Snow’s on the money. You’ll get the general gist of it watching the game but it’s pretty easy to pick up,” Yang reassured her. Blake gave the blonde that heartbreaking smile again, casting a quick glance back to Ilia, amber meeting lilac once again.

 

“Good luck out there,” she mumbled before her footsteps carried her back to Ilia, the pair of Faunus soon walking out of the room.

 

Yang let out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding, her chest deflating and her shoulders sinking, lacing her skates absentmindedly.

 

 

“Yang.”

 

The blonde looked to the speaker, finding ice blue eyes.

 

“Now’s not the time to be thinking about girls,” she mused, fastening her helmet clasp under her chin. “We have a game to play, and hopefully win.”

 

Lilac eyes rolled in annoyance, reaching for her elbow pads and sliding one up her arm. Yang could faintly hear Glynda telling the team to head onto the track once they were geared up, the sound of rolling wheels on wood blurring her mind like white noise.

 

“What made you think I  _ wasn’t  _ thinking about this game?” she retorted with a little more force than was necessary.

 

“I’m not blind Yang, I saw how you looked at her,” Weiss replied, doing a once over check of her gear before finding her mouthguard.

 

“Looked at her how?”

 

“Do I really need to spell it out-”

 

“Weiss, not now okay?” Yang hissed, grabbing her helmet once she had geared up, refusing to meet her friend’s eyes. Weiss softened, standing on her skates. 

 

“Fine.”

 

Yang heard the sound of Weiss’ wheels rolling away from her, trying to breathe through the tightness in her chest. 

 

_ Focus damnit! _ she thought to herself, checking down all of her gear and securing her yellow helmet onto her head.  _ The Valkyries aren’t going down easy, low numbers or not. We’re going to give them one hell of a fight. Right? _

  
  


///

 

A whistle sounded. 

 

“30 seconds!”

 

The skaters moved quickly, the Argus Rebels and the Vale Valkyries sending out their next rotation. 

 

There was just under three minutes left on the clock, and the game was close. The Valkyries were ahead by their skin of their teeth on 118 points, but the Rebels sat on 112. The pair of Faunus had realised early on that when scores sat that close, the lead could change in a single jam. 

 

Watching the skaters on track, Blake could tell that they were absolutely exhausted. The Rebels had brought 13 skaters with them, almost enough for 3 whole rotations. The Valkyries had 6, leaving most of their blockers having to play jams back to back so they could rotate between Weiss and Velvet for jamming. 

 

Velvet was up this jam, the star pantie on her helmet as Pyrrha bore the pivot pantie. Her, Nora and Yang made up the 3-wall as Coco drifted to the side as offence, forming a blob of orange on track thanks to their jerseys. The Rebel’s grey and blue dressed rotation set up right next to the jammer line, the Valkyries drifting towards the middle.

 

“Pyrrha’s bracing again,” Ilia hummed absentmindedly, watching Pyrrha face the jammers as Yang and Nora stood before her, each taking a shoulder each and settling into derby stance.

 

“5 seconds!”

 

The Valkyrie wall rushed back towards the jammer line, essentially pinning the other 3 wall to the jammer line.

 

The whistle screeched and mayhem erupted on track.

 

 

The Argus Jammer slammed against the Valkyries, Yang and Nora pinching together and sinking down to stop her from moving. Everytime she moved, the wall moved with her, shutting down any progress she made. Meanwhile, Velvet was fighting against the Rebel wall, Coco holding herself against one of the blockers. The Faunus kept fighting through the wall, Coco holding her position, saying something incoherent to the crowd. Their eyes met, a nod passing between the two. 

 

In a split second, Coco ducked lower, wrapping the side of her torso around a blocker’s stomach and driving them towards the edge, giving Velvet just enough time to get past. Two short whistles sounded. Velvet was lead jammer and now had control over the jam. The Valkyrie wall faltered, the Argus jammer barging through, Pyrrha missing her by a split second. The two jammers rounded the track, quickly approaching the two walls.

 

The rabbit Faunus hit the pack once again, although this time wasn’t as successful. While the Argus jammer danced her way through the chaos, a blocker slid towards Velvet, her side exposed and slamming into Velvet, the Faunus falling to the ground.

 

“Call it!” Ruby cried without missing a beat. As soon as she heard it, Velvet tapped her hip bones with both hands, looking a referee dead in the eye.

 

A series of whistles sounded, signalling the end of the jam.

 

Blake spared a glance to the scoreboard, her heart in her throat.

 

The gap had been closed to 118 to 116.

 

The previous jam had left them with a just over a minute of gameplay left on the clock. 

 

This was quite possibly the last jam of the game.

 

 

“Think they could keep the lead?” Ilia murmured, dragging wide grey eyes away from the track to meet amber. Blake was soundless, looking to the track then back to Ilia.

 

“They could. But they could lose it too,” she eventually replied.

  
  


“30 seconds!”

 

The two Faunus looked at each other for another moment, before watching the Valkyries take the track. Weiss was jamming, hiding her exhaustion with a composed facade. Nora took brace, Pyrrha and Coco forming the rest of the three wall, with Yang bearing the pivot pantie. They lined up near the back line, the Rebel’s using the Valkyries’ tactic from last jam and pinning them to the jammer line.

 

The Argus was tall and lean and could easily knock Weiss out if she decided to go on the offence. But not only was Weiss nimble, she was also fast.

 

This could go either way.

 

“5 seconds!”

 

_ 1 _

 

_ 2 _

 

_ 3 _

 

_ 4 _

 

_ 5 _

 

_ SCREEEEEE! _

 

The jammers took off. The Valkyries stuck to their jammer like glue, taking them to the edge of the track whenever they could and pushing her out of bounds. The Rebels seemed to take the same approach, barely letting Weiss move. Both jammers fought for 30 seconds, the Rebel jammer coming back in after being knocked out for the fourth time. Her frustration seemed to show, hitting the pack with a new found fury, targeting Nora and hitting her square in the back.

 

A whistle sounded.

 

“Grey, 45, back block!” the referee cried, pointing at the Rebel jammer. Scowling, the jammer headed off the track and skating directly towards the penalty box which meant-

 

 

“Power jam!” Ruby cried without missing a beat. 

 

Both teams reacted within a split second. Weiss fought harder against the wall who had locked down on her and showed her no mercy. 

 

“Offence!” Weiss cried, as her wall locked down around the Rebels, creating chaos within the pack. Despite the action, Weiss was still trapped behind a Rebel blocker and was running out of energy.

 

“Yang!”

 

Weiss reached for the jammer pantie, yanking it off her helmet and outstretching her arm towards Yang.

 

“Pantie pass!”

 

 

In the blink of an eye, Yang had raced to Weiss’ side. All blockers immediately focused their energy onto Yang, pushing her away from the pack and further away from Weiss. 

What they didn’t notice is that they had left the inside line wide open for Weiss to sneak through. 

 

Two short whistles.

 

Weiss was now the jammer and was in the lead.

 

A cheer resounded from the crowd, particularly from two young Faunus watching the jammer place the pantie back onto her helmet.

 

“Up! Up! Up!” the redhead on the bench yelled, pumping her arms towards the sky. The Valkyries sprang into action, moving from a stand still to beginning to the lap the track, while the Rebels raced to catch up. As Weiss rounded the opposite corner and up the straight, the Rebels still stayed towards the inside of the track. But Weiss held her line, aiming for the apex of the track and jumped.

 

Time stood still for a moment before Weiss landed safely in bounds.

 

 

A wave of cheers and screams left the crowd, before the Rebel jammer left the box and made her way back on track. 

 

“Call it!”

 

Weiss transitioned to skate backwards, watching the Rebel jammer before tapping her hips and calling off the final jam.

 

The score was 122 to 116. The Valkyries had won.

 

///

 

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Ilia had asked Blake, the pair of them sitting in Blake’s car.

 

After the bout, the team had invited them to Pyrrha’s apartment for a Valkyrie tradition. The afterparty.

 

“We’ll be fine. Right?” Blake offered, turning off the car and unclipping her seatbelt.

 

“Sure. It’s just- when was the last time we went drinking with other people?”

 

“You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to,” Blake reassured her.

 

“But people will be drinking and they’ll be asking if I’m drinking and if I’m not then they’ll think I’m weird or-”

 

“Ilia, breathe.”

 

 

Ilia and Blake caught the chameleon mid mental spiral, the feline reaching for Ilia’s hand and running her thumb along Ilia’s.

 

“What’s 5 things you can see?” Blake asked softly, Ilia giving her a look.

 

“You, the steering wheel, the window, the seat and garden outside,” Ilia mumbled softly, a pause falling in between each new sight.

 

“Good. 4 things you can feel.”

 

A beat of silence. Blake felt Ilia squeeze her hand a little tighter.

 

“Jacket, jeans, car seat, and you.”

 

“3 things you can hear.”

 

“Wind, you and-”

 

The chameleon paused, hearing a sound that was halfway between a screech and cackling laughter.

 

“Who was that?” Blake voiced what they were both thinking, looking to each other and shrugging.

 

“Only one way to find out,” the other girl mused, unclipping her seatbelt and and reaching for the car door.

 

“Ilia wait.”

 

“What do you want?” she almost snapped, looking back at amber eyes. The feline in question expelled a breath, shoulders sinking.

 

“Just-...just come find me if you need anything okay?”

 

Grey eyes rolled in response.

 

 

“Blake, I adore you but you really need to stop being a hypocrite.”

 

Eyebrows furrowed, her head shaking slightly. “Ilia, what is this even about?”

 

“The night at the bar Blake,” the chameleon reminded her. “Y’know, when you freaked out right in front of me and Yang, right in front of people who wanted to  _ help _ you and you just-” Ilia stopped suddenly, sighing in frustration and getting out of the car.

 

_ Thump! _

 

Blake remained in the car, fiddling with the hem of her black skater skirt to calm her racing heart and give Ilia time to distant herself. 

Blake knew she was being unfair. She knew how hypocritical it was to ask Ilia to bare her greatest hopes and fears and dreams to her, when Blake wasn’t even scratching the surface in return. They had been friends for so long, and they were still so much Blake hadn’t told her. But why? Ilia had never hurt her. Blake should be over all of this by now. She didn’t think she would take this long to get better. She shook the thought from her mind, reminding herself that this wasn’t the time.  _ You say that every time _ , sounded a voice in her head, which Blake eagerly ignored.

 

Somehow, she found the energy to drag herself out of the car, close the door and lock it before shambling up to the party. The feline meandered up the wire stairs, finding the apartment door and rapping her knuckles against the wood.

 

A moment passed before a flash of yellow opened the door.

 

Standing in the doorway was the closest thing to the human embodiment of sex Blake could ever imagine.

 

“Hey,” Yang started smoothly, her posture loose in her jeans and leather jacket, a fond smile on her lips. “Glad you made it. I was getting kinda worried when Ilia rocked up without you.”

 

Blake tried to mirror the smile, shrugging slightly in response. “Yeah. It’s nothing to worry about, she was just pulling me up on the other night.”

 

Yang visibly softened at the mention of the bar incident. 

 

“Everything okay?” the blonde asked gently, voice dropping.

 

_ No,  _ the voice Blake’s head was back.

 

“It’s fine, nothing to worry about for tonight,” she assured the blonde, walking closer and towards the door. 

 

Those devilishly soft looking lips pulled up into a smirk.

 

“Alrighty then. Come on in,” the blonde hummed, stepping to the side and letting Blake through. 

 

Almost immediately Blake was assaulted with the smell of various types of alcohol, undertones of sweat and the sound of rowdy, tipsy derby girls after their first game and win of the season.

 

“Blake! You made it!” Nora cried, waving violently from the kitchen. Yang nodded her head towards the kitchen, the pair winding their way around the two loveseats to greet the others. Hugs were exchanged and drinks were poured, and now Blake sat on a loveseat beside Yang, amber eyes focused on something, then something else, then something else.

  
  


“You sure you’re okay?” the blonde asked gently. Yang knew the worried look, she had seen it both on herself and others far too many times. Seeing it on Blake put a weird pit in her stomach, but before she could address it she got an answer.

 

“Ilia came in right?” she asked, amber eyes imploring lilac for an answer. Yang furrowed her eyebrows, joining Blake in her search.

 

“Yeah, she came in a couple minutes before you did,” she replied, voice trailing off. She stood from the seat, searching the kitchen before looking back down at Blake.

 

“I don’t know where she is, but she’s not here.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> // this chapter was proudly brought to you exam procrastination! once its over I'll be back to uploading with a bit less of a wait. hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm aware there's a lot of derby terminology and gameplay in this chapter, if there's anything you're confused by feel free to leave a comment or pop over to my tumblr and shoot me a message :3 see you next chapter! - lemon x


	7. 3 Point Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter: Cry Baby - The Neighbourhood

Fuck. This was the last thing that Blake wanted.

 

Ilia being mad at her? She definitely deserved that. But Ilia disappearing? That wasn’t like her.

 

_ Well fucking done Belladonna; you’ve officially gotten your best friend to hate you, _ Blake’s brain sneered, the feline biting her tongue. Amber eyes scoured the whole room and tore it to pieces, finding places to hide and simultaneously wondering if Ilia was there and debating hiding there herself. Reaching for her phone, shaking hands dug through the contacts before finding Ilia’s name. Dialling, she held the phone up to her ear.

 

_ Brr brr. _

 

_ Brr brr. _

 

_ Brr brr. _

 

_ Brr brr. _

 

_ Brr brr. _

 

_ Hey you’ve reached the number of Ilia Amitola! Please leave your name and- _

 

Blake hung up before the message finished. She hadn’t even heard her ringtone from anywhere in the apartment building.

 

“Has she ever done this before?” Yang asked softly, her hand resting on the small of the feline’s back. Shoulders raised and arms crossed, Blake shook her head.    
  


“Never.”

 

The blonde was silent for a moment, her hand trailing once up her spine then back down and leaving completely.

 

“You stay here. Sit with Pyrrha okay?”

 

Blake felt a pit in her stomach and another arm wrapping around her waist. It wasn’t Yang’s ( _ it wasn’t warm enough to be, _ Blake thought) but it was still comforting. 

“C’mon hun, come sit down,” a soft voice murmured and Blake felt herself nod in response. Her feet padded along the floor and her body was coaxed into the warm embrace of the tall redhead on the couch. The feline stared beyond the coffee table, her head swimming with a single thought.

 

_ My fault. _

 

_ My fault. _

 

_ My fault. _

 

“Blake?”

 

Blinking a few times, Blake looked up into comforting green eyes. The woman gave her a slight smile, brushing back a piece of raven hair.

 

“We’ll find her okay? She couldn’t have gone too far.”

 

Blake only sighed in reply, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in her chest and the screams in her head. The hand on her back trailed softly up and down her spine like Yang’s had done only a moment ago. A soft voice started telling meaningless stories to help fill Blake’s mind with anything other than accusations. She tried to slow her breathing and tried to keep her muscles from stiffening; it had been a while since she had been held.

  
  


Knowing that Blake was in good hands with Pyrrha, Yang headed out of the cramped apartment and turned on the torch of her phone. The sun had gone down hours ago which makes hiding a lot easier, even when someone couldn’t change the colour of their skin. Scanning the small fenced yard that surrounded the apartment building, Yang scanned the darkness for any sign of the chameleon. Finding nothing, she found herself walking over to the old, slightly dented blue car that Blake and Ilia always used to get to training. Who owned it? No idea. Did it matter right now? No. Was Ilia there? No.

 

_ Well isn’t this just great. _

 

Yang half contemplated calling the police, immediately dismissing it. They hadn’t even called Ilia yet. Well,

 

“Really knows how to hide huh?” the blonde mumbled to herself. “Could blend into the tiles of the bathroom if she-”

 

_ Wait a minute. _   
  


Yang’s feet carried back up the stairs into Pyrrha’s apartment, opening the door. Only casting a quick glance to Blake and Pyrrha still on the couch, her feet hurriedly carried her towards the bathroom. 

 

“This better work Xiao Long,” she mumbled to herself. Digging through her pocket, she fumbled for her phone, hit contacts and searched through.

 

“Gotcha.”

 

Hitting dial, she pressed one ear against the bathroom door, blocked the other and waited.

 

_ Brr brr- _

 

_ Hey you’ve reached the number of Ilia Amitola! Please- _

 

Ilia didn’t pick up (unsurprisingly). But that didn’t matter. What did matter was the fact Yang managed to catch the vibrating sound on the other side of the door. And the shortened ring meant that Ilia had ended the call manually.

 

She was inside.

 

She was okay.

 

Well, she was alive at least.

 

Stepping back from the door, Yang instead headed into the message tab, finding Ilia’s contact once again. 

 

_ Hey I know we’re not super close but-  _ Delete. Start over.

 

_ You okay? Blake’s really worried that- _ Delete again. Start over again.

 

Sighing softly, the blonde figured short and simple was the best approach. Right?

 

_ Take ur time if you’re not ok. Txt me if u wanna talk.  _

 

Hitting send, she exhaled a breath she didn’t realise she was holding. Scanning back over the screen, she quickly typed and sent a follow up message.

 

_ I’ll tell the others to use the other bathroom. No rush _

 

Satisfied that she had done all she could do in that moment (without pushing Ilia past the point of breaking), she wandered back to the couch, sitting in the empty space beside Blake. Pyrrha looked up, eyebrows raised in question. Yang nodded, answering the silent question. She had found Ilia. The redhead sighed in relief and smiled. 

 

“Yang’s back Blake,” she mumbled to the girl laying on her. “She found Ilia.”

 

All it took was was one word, one name, and Blake stiffened immediately, frantically looking towards Yang. Eyes wides and ears against her skull, frantic words came spilling out.   
  


“You found her? W-Where is she? Is she-”

 

“Ilia’s okay,” Yang soothed. “She needs a little bit of alone time but she’s okay.” 

Blake’s shoulders softened, moving from leaning against Pyrrha to resting her head on the blonde’s shoulder. The blonde felt her heart stop for a moment.

 

After her few interactions with Blake, Yang had figured out she was definitely not the affectionate type. The only time she had ever really smiled (not that polite half-smile, the  _ real _ one) was at Ilia. Her entire body would stiffen when people came to close and it would soften when Ilia was close by. And yet there she was, practically melting into Yang’s side.

 

“Thank you,” came the murmur from Blake’s lips and Yang felt her lips twitch up in a smile.

 

“S’okay,” she breathed in reply. “We’ve got her back. Everyone does. And yours too.”

 

Blake didn’t say anything after that, but nothing needed to be said. Yang cautiously removed the arm trapped between her and Blake, hovering it over her back. 

 

“This alright?” Yang asked softly. She felt Blake nod against her shoulder and Yang lowered her arm against the feline’s spine. Eventually, Blake’s ears perked up from against her skull, exhaling and inhaling at a steady pace.

 

“Is she mad?”

 

Yang had to make sure she wasn’t hearing things when Blake said that.

 

“I...I honestly don’t know,” she admitted. Blake’s muscles stiffened under her arm and yang eased her back and forth, back and forth along her spine. “She didn’t want to talk. I’m not going to make her talk until she wants to.”

 

Surprisingly that got a chuckle out of Blake.

 

“You’re very sweet.”

 

Now that definitely wasn’t something that Yang expected. Her chest rumbled in a soft laugh, looking down to Blake who lay against her side.

 

_ Oh, _ she thought.  _ This is...this is something. _

 

Yang watched as Blake curled against her side, breathing slowly. One hand was folded against Blake’s chest while the other was thrown across Yang’s lap. Amber eyes were hidden away beneath purple lined eyelids and the slightest of pink dusted across her cheeks. Her lips were dry and chipped and bitten from worry but Yang couldn’t stop staring at them.

 

Oh.

 

Oh Gods.

 

This was bad.

_ Is it? _ Yang asked herself.  _ When was the last time you had a crush on someone? _

 

Dating in derby was an unspoken rule. Long story short; don’t. In another league was okay, the awkwardness was only limited to tournaments then (assuming both parties were on the travel team). But in the same league? That was dangerous territory. Age, sexuality, gender, race, none of that really mattered. 

But the moment you catch feelings, tension starts to form. After a while the tension would begin to choke and there would be more than one reason you couldn’t breath after doing 27 laps in 5 minutes. 

 

Tearing her eyes away from Blake, the back of her head hit the cushion, staring up at the ceiling. Her chest sunk with an exhale, but it still felt like a piece of fabric hand been wrapped around her and pulled tight. 

 

She didn’t have a crush on Blake. She barely knew the girl. But she wanted to, so much the thought made her heart leap into her throat for a reason she couldn’t (or wouldn’t) explain.

 

She wanted to know how this girl thought, whether she preferred sunsets or sunrises, how she slept at night and why she seemed to be afraid of everything. Yang wanted know where she learned to skate, where she grew up, how she took her coffee in the mornings and every little detail that made up who Blake Belladonna was and even all of that wasn’t enough.

  
  


“I can hear you thinking.”

 

The soft mumble had shattered the silence. 

 

Looking down, Yang found soft amber eyes looking into her own with a look she couldn’t place. Chuckling, she shrugged enough to get the point across but not enough to rustle Blake.

 

“I’m a loud thinker,” she tried with an easy smile, the tightness in her chest diffusing when Blake mirrored it.

 

“Loud but muffled,” Blake hummed. “I can tell you’re thinking, but I can’t tell what.”

 

Yang chuckled again, shaking her head before looking back at the noirette.

 

“Perceptive aren’t ya?”

 

“You learn a lot when you listen.”

 

At this, a blonde eyebrow quirked.    
  


“Are you trying to imply something?”

 

Yang immediately felt Blake stiffen under her arm and damnit, she shouldn’t have said that. It was only a joke but maybe Weiss was actually right about her sense of humour.  _ Get a better one _ , she always said.

 

“I-I didn’t mean that you should s-stop talking, I like-”

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” the blonde hushed, resuming the tracing of Blake’s spine. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean that, I’m sorry.”

 

Eventually, Yang felt the muscles under her hand relax again.

 

They sat in silence for what felt like eternity. Their gaze never parted from one another, at the noise of the party faded into the background of the scene. All she knew in that moment was amber eyes and wisps of raven hair. 

Yang felt the tension rise and fall with her breath, but she welcomed it.  _ It’s just a feeling. I don’t know what it is but that’s okay. It’s just a feeling, it can’t hurt me _ , she told herself.  _ Nothing’s gonna hurt me. _

 

Blake’s lips eventually parted, her face unreadable like she was trying to figure out what to say. Yang felt their faces growing closer and closer and she never knew Blake’s eyes were this  _ gold _ and-

 

_ Brr brr _

 

Yang’s body seized up, her free hand feeling around her back pocket for her phone.

 

“Is it…?” Blake asked once Yang had dug it out, the rest of the question floating in mid-air but both of them knew it didn’t need to be finished.

 

“It’s Ilia,” she replied softly. “She’s ready to talk.” 

 

The feline nodded, sitting up from Yang’s chest. “Go see her.”

 

“Do you wanna come-”

 

“Ilia won’t want to see me right now.”

 

As much as she hated to admit it, Blake was right.

 

The blonde nodded, drawing back her arm before standing off the couch, still looking at Blake.

 

“I’ll make sure she’s okay, I promise.”

 

Blake gave a fraction of a smile in reply. Yang steeled herself, took a deep breath and headed to the bathroom.

 

///

 

When Yang had walked in, Ilia sat on the bathroom counter, squished between the wall and the sink. The blonde had locked the door behind them, slowly walked towards the chameleon and leaned against the wall.   
  


“I’m not gonna make you say anything you don’t want to,” she murmured, causing grey eyes to look up at her. “I just want to make sure you’re alright. Blake does too. And the whole team.”

 

One name made Ilia’s chest tighten beyond reason. A heavy exhale left her lips, looking back down at her lap.

 

“I saw you two,” she mumbled eventually.

 

“Saw us what?” Yang asked quietly.

 

“On the couch.”

 

“Blake was really worried about you, she still is.”

 

Ilia paused again, her hands gripping the edge of the bathroom counter.

 

“Not in the way I want her to be.”

 

A silence fell over the room, and Ilia could hear the cogs turning in Yang’s head.    
Was she really gonna tell her this? Surely Yang could keep a secret right? It’s a big sister trait. But she’d only known Yang for a few weeks and this was a  _ big _ thing.

 

“What do you mean Ilia?” she asked in a like a soft breeze. It all seemed so safe, like whatever was said inside that bathroom would disappear into the walls and stay there forever. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and said it.

 

“I want her to love me.”

 

Yang was silent and silence was the  _ last _ thing that Ilia wanted right now, so stupidly she kept talking.

 

“I’m in love with her. I have been ever since we were 18. I knew it was gonna happen and I knew it was gonna end badly but-” Ilia cut herself off with a soft laugh.

 

“You couldn’t help it,” Yang supplied.

 

“I could have sold my soul and I still would have fallen in love with her,” she admitted. “And she’s been through so much and it  _ hurts _ because I wanna protect her and love her and help her heal, but I can’t do that. I can’t make her love me.”

 

Yang felt rather than saw Ilia begin to cry. Immediately, she swooped in and wrapped her arms around the Faunus, one hand on her back and the other cradling her head. Ilia gripped the back of Yang’s shirt, the collar growing increasingly wet as she sobbed.

 

“How do you know she doesn’t love you?” the blonde murmured into red hair. “You two are so close, I’ve never seen Blake smile unless she’s around you.”

 

In a split second, the pair of hands fisting her shirt moved to push Yang away

 

“She  _ doesn’t _ love me!”

 

Ilia’s freckles flashed red, fading to brown as regret clouded her features.

 

“I’m sorry, it’s just-” Another sigh left her lips. “I know Blake. I’ve seen the way she looks at someone when she loves them. And the people she’s loved have been so horrible to her so I thought, maybe I’d be the one to show her what being loved, actually  _ loved _ .”

 

“You still can,” Yang tried. “Yeah, it’s not romantic but this way you can still love her and help her heal.”

 

Ilia was silent for a moment, fiddling with her fingers and staring at her lap.

 

“Have you ever been in love?” she asked eventually.

 

Yang let out a snort before shaking her head.

 

“Me? No way. I’m way too much of coward,” she admitted, leaning back against the wall and watching the chameleon. “But I know what it’s like to love someone. Not like this but, I know how much it can hurt.”

 

A silence fell over the girls, one of acceptance and pain and the choking tension that made Yang so afraid of falling in love.

 

“Do yourself a favour, never fall in love with Blake Belladonna,” Ilia mumbled. “Because it hurts so bad that sometimes you feel like you’re going to die, but it feels so  _ good _ that you just keep loving her and loving her until it’s all you know. And you can’t bring yourself to stop, no matter how much you might want to.”

 

Yang sighed a little, looking from the redhead to the door and then back to the redhead.

 

“No promises.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> // so updating during holidays didn't happen but I'm back! I can't promise how regular updates will be but I'm gonna try writing after uni every day to help me wind down. hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! lemme know what you liked and what you think will happen next! see you next chapter - lemon x


	8. Body Slam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter: Like Lovers Do - Hey Violet!  
> WARNING: this chapter contains elements of domestic violence/abusive relationships - please take caution reading the first half of this chapter if these themes trigger you xx

It had been 3 weeks since the Argus bout and the eventful after party which had followed, and thankfully the mood had lightened. Slightly, at least. 

After Ilia had finally emerged from the bathroom, she and Blake had gone outside to talk. Yang didn’t know what was said but regardless, neither of the Faunus froze up when the other looked at them anymore. And that was a good thing.

The rest of the night had gone as planned and Yang woke up the next morning to messages from both Ilia and Blake thanking her for the night before. It was nice, seeing that all the energy she was seemingly wasting wasn’t going unnoticed.

The blonde lay back against her covers, her eyes trained on the ceiling. Ambient music played through her speaker, keeping the silence she dreaded would choke the empty house at bay. Both her sister and father were with their lovers, one at a movie theatre and the other at the graveside. So once again, she was alone, counting down the hours until she had to go to training and at least pretend like she was a functioning human being. The sound dimmed before another song started, her phone vibrating.

Someone was calling?

Trying the quell the thumping in her chest, she reached for the phone and grasped it with shaking hands. Yang exhaled a breath she hadn’t meant to hold, hitting the green button.

“Heya Ice Queen,” she chirped.

_ “How many times have I told you not the call me that?”  _ Weiss answered through the speaker.

“How many times have you threatened to do something about it, and then not done anything?” Yang chuckled, still staring at the ceiling as Weiss’ voice filled the room.

_ “Touche.” _

“So, whaddya want?”

Yang heard Weiss huff on the other end.  _ “Why do you always assume I only ever call when I want something?” _

“Because 99% of the time, you only ever call me when you’ve broken down, forgotten something or you’re drunk and don’t want to admit it to yourself.”

_ “...Why do you know me so well?” _

“Because you’re my derby wife - duh.”   
  


_ “Well, consider this the 1%. I’m not drunk, I have everything I need currently and my car is working fine.” _

“Have you got a girlfriend?” Yang teased, a grin working its way onto her lips.

_ “Oh piss off Xiao Long.” _

“Ooo the Ice Queen is swearing! I really must have pressed her button.”

 

Despite the nickname and the banter, laughter filled each girls’ ears from their respective phones.

_ “But honestly Yang, can we talk for a second?” _

_ Oh boy, here we go, _ Yang thought.

“Sure. What’s up?”

_ “Are you okay?”  _

 

That dreaded silence began to fill the air. 

“W-What?”

  
A sigh sounded from the other line.

“Look Yang, I know you’re not the type to let people help you, but I know you’ve had lot going on and I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“What are you talking about? Weiss I’m fine,” the blonde lied.

_ “Are you sure?” _

“Yeah. Just the intake was getting me down a little.”

_ “If you’re sure,” _ Weiss eventually relented.  _ “Honestly, when I heard Winter was back in town and you started seeming off I thought it made sense.” _

 

Yang hauled herself to sit up, staring at the phone in disbelief. 

_ Wait, what?!  _ Yang screamed in her head.

_ “Winter is back in town?” _

It was only after hearing Weiss’ voice did Yang realise she had said that out loud.

“Y-Yeah. I honestly had no idea, why didn’t you tell me?”

_ “I honestly thought I did,”  _ Weiss murmured, almost in disbelief.  _ “I mean, you guys dated for a bit, I wouldn’t have left you in the dark on purpose-” _

“Weiss, we didn’t date,” Yang immediately defended, running a hair through her blonde mane. “We were like- I guess the closest thing is friends with benefits? Fuck buddies? Like-”

_ “Please don’t talk about your sex life with my sister.” _

“Dude, either way it doesn’t matter. It’s in the past, and even if I do end up seeing her I’m not gonna be awkward. I’ve got more important shit to worry about.”

 

She heard Weiss sigh on the other end of the phone, and could picture her friend pinching the bridge of her nose.

_ “Fine. I doubt you’ll see her anyway. Anyway, I have to get going, I’ll see you at training.” _

“See ya Ice Queen.”

Hearing a light sigh, three tones sounded signalling the end of the call.

_ Well that definitely wasn’t expected. _

 

///

 

The summer night was warm and inviting and the breeze whipped through long, raven hair. She was peaceful for the first time today; another fight with  _ him  _ had set her nerves on fire. If she could even call it a fight.

Lately he wouldn’t even let her speak. He’d just yell and scream and accuse until Blake apologised for something she didn’t do. Then he’d lie to her face and tell her he loved her. But she was 18, and the thought of what he would do if she left sent a shiver down her spine.

She told him she needed some space and escaped for a few hours. Ilia had met her by the train tracks like they always did. 

Heel to toe they walked along the abandoned tracks, throwing their ideas and hopes and dreams into the sky.

 

“So are you gonna break up with him or not?”

Blake stiffened then sighed. “I can’t.”

Ilia stopped. Incredulously, she stared at Blake. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“What?”

“Blake, he’s hurting you! Why are you staying with him-”

“He’s never hit me.”

“Then why is your wrist bruised?”

Blake paused, averting her gaze. “I’m clumsy.”

 

Ilia’s sigh was carried out into the wind. Catching up to the sable haired beauty, Ilia shoved her hands inside her hoodie pockets. 

“Blake, you know that you can tell me anything, right?” she tried gently, their footsteps falling into sync.

“Not about this,” Blake mumbled. Her arms crossed over her chest as the pair caught sight of the road. “Don’t worry about me okay? I’m fine.”

 

Ilia had to bite her tongue when she saw the look on Blake’s face.  _ When was the last time she got a full night’s rest? Had she always looked this tired? _ It didn’t take a blind man to know that Blake was exhausted of fighting. But Ilia didn’t know the demons that she was fighting. She couldn’t help Blake unless she let Ilia in.

 

Footsteps on gravel was the only thing that filled the silence, until feline ears twitched at the sound of an engine.

 

Blake’s footsteps carried her faster and faster until Ilia had to jog to keep up. But the sound drew closer and her ears pressed themselves against her skull.

A sleek black coupe pulled up beside them, and the engine stopped.

 

The door opened and Ilia was immediately by Blake’s side. Red streaked black hair emerged, two bull horns not as sharp as the piercing blue eyes that stared the feline down.

 

“So this is what you mean by ‘I need space’?” Adam spat. She was silent. Slamming his door, he moved around to the other side of the car. “Get in.”

 

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Ilia snapped, stepping in front of Blake. Amber eyes went wide, tugging on the chameleon’s hoodie.

“Ilia, what are you doing?” she begged in a whisper. “I told you, nothing is wrong-”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’d get away from my girlfriend,” he snarled. 

“With the way you treat her, why she stays with you is beyond me.”

“What the  _ fuck  _ did you just say to me?!”

“You heard me!”

 

Piercing blue met steel grey, panicked amber flicking between the pair of them. In a blink, Adam’s hands grabbed Ilia’s hoodie collar, slamming her back against the brick wall of the building.

“Adam stop!” Blake cried, running forward, tugging furiously at Adam’s trench coat to pull him away from Ilia please.

“You mind your own damn business, do you hear me?” the bull sneered, his face dangerously close to Ilia’s and his hands threatening to choke the girl with her own hoodie. “Blake is  _ mine _ , and what we do has nothing to do with you. Understand?”

“If you’re hurting her, I’m not letting her stay with you,” Ilia managed, her collar pressing against her neck as he began to lift her off her feet.

“Adam please,” she begged, steeling herself for what would happen after her next words. “I’ll come home with you, just please let her go.”

The moment of silence lasted a month before Ilia was set back down on her feet. With one last shove back towards the wall, Adam abandoned Ilia against the building and headed back to the car.

“Get in.”

This time, Blake didn’t resist. This wouldn’t have happened if she had just stayed with him.

 

///

 

Blake hated being in pain. She hated the constant reminder of her weaknesses and having to constantly explain why she felt the way she did.  But she had a feeling roller derby would change that.

Training was always intense and although the coaches always rotated through, each of their different styles never failed to push Blake’s body to her limit.

Snow Spite paid great detail to the technique used in every maneuver and highly emphasized the importance of safety. _None of this will be worth it if you can't walk when you're 40,_ she always reminded the fresh skaters. Blake would bite her tongue and roll her eyes until Ilia pointed out the scar peeking out from Snow's knee pad. After that, both the Faunus would constantly remind one another to watch their techniques, which Snow quietly appreciated.

Snap Crackle Pop – who everyone referred to as Snap – seemed to know exactly what buttons to press to frustrate her team. Even on their joint sessions, most of the experienced skaters would moan and groan at the drills they were given. Snap's wife was no exception, a frequent quote of hers being _remind me why I married a sadist again?_ Her approach was repetition. Snap would pick an aspect to work on and their drills would focus around that one aspect for the entire session. Even if her sessions were often frustrating, they got results and Blake couldn't deny that.

Yang Bang was an all-rounder of a coach and wasn't satisfied unless everyone’s entire body was tested. She insisted that all of their drills be practiced on both sides, even if she wasn’t running the session. Yang, nosy as she was, kept a close eye on all of the skaters, watching for things they could improve on and also were their strengths lay. _Have a chat to Rubes,_ she would say after noticing a particular strength. _She'll give you some skaters to watch that use this stuff._

And over the sessions and frequent chats and meet ups with Ruby, Ilia had started learning names of skaters who she had researched with Blake.

Scald Eagle. Lady Trample. Falcon Punch. Screw Barrymore. Miss Tea Maven. Gal of Fray. Bicepsual. Sausarge Rolls. Jaana Nuku.

The names and faces slowly became familiar to the two Faunus, watching games on the weekend to try better understand the rules and how the skills they were learning would come into play when they eventually would start bouting (the derby word for ‘playing'). The pain that came with training didn’t haunt her, but served as a reminder of all the things she was learning, all of the things her body was beginning to overcome. It wasn't much but Blake started to accept her tired muscles as a badge of honour.

 

“Alrighty everyone, 5 laps opposite direction to cool down,” Snap instructed, closing her notebook as the skaters set a slow pace. Ilia had found herself becoming much more confident on her skates, and Penny no longer needed to hold on to someone to keep herself upright and moving. Blake tried not to be disheartened at how much faster Ruby was progressing than her, but she couldn't help but be the tiniest bit envious of the young girl.

 

“Oh hey there!~” a voice chirped beside Blake, meeting bright aqua blue eyes. Thunder Thighs, the most rambunctious member of the bouting team, and a fierce blocker. Blake had seen this woman's hipchecks, they could easily send Pyrrha careening off track.

“How'd ya like training?” Thunder asked, slowing her pace a touch to stay beside Blake as they skated.

“Good. Exhausting though,” Blake admitted. Seeing Ruby skating with Yang and Ilia further up the track, she felt her shoulders sink a little. “I don’t know how Ruby does it.”

“Doesn't matter what Ruby can do,” the ginger immediately replied. “That doesn't affect your journey.”

“I know but-"

“No buts!” she chirped,  a large grin on her lips before she softened slightly.

“Hey, wanna hear a story? I’ll make it quick.”

Blake furrowed her eyebrows slightly but nodded anyway.

“Yang and I joined in the same intake. She passed her minimum skills in less than a year, and I only just passed at the end of last season.”

The feline had to keep her jaw from dropping. “How? You're an incredible skater,” she asked softly.

“I might be good at hitting and moving people off track, but I'm nowhere near as agile as Yang. And it took me forever to pass 27 in 5, she got it first go.”

Blake furrowed her eyebrows even further, staring at the lighthearted grin on the ginger's lips.

“One of the biggest mistakes fresh skaters make when they start derby is comparing themselves to the people they skate with,” Thunder started, the two girls slowing as the others made their way off track. “Obviously if you don’t push yourself and stop striving to get better, you won't make any progress. But the only thing you should compare yourself to is what you could do the last time you had skates on your feet.”

Blake smiled ever so faintly, nodding slightly in reply. “Thanks Thunder.”

“No worries Blake!” came her cheerful reply, skating over to her table and sitting down next to Pyrrha and taking off her helmet.

 

Following the team's collective incentive, Blake slowly made her way to the table with her bag, pulling up a chair next to Ilia and sitting down.

“What was that about?” Ilia hummed as Blake pulled out her mouth guard.

“She was telling me a story about when her and Yang joined,” she replied, unfastening her wrist guards. “I'll tell you in the car.”

The two Faunus removed their gear, wincing at the smell as the senior skaters chuckled softly.

“Embrace the derby stank!” Ruby cheered, receiving a pinch from Snow Spite. “Agh, Weiss!"

Yang rolled her eyes, looking to both Blake and Ilia. “The smell is part of derby, but nothing wrong with leaving your gear outside to dry every now and then,” she hummed. “Or Pyrrha makes this super nice spray thingy if its really bad.”

Ilia whistled in wonder, looking over to the tall redhead. “Really? How much?”

“Just $5, its pretty potent so it lasts a good while,” the team captain explained. “I have some on me if you want to buy one.”

“That'd be amazing!” Ilia admitted, taking off the last of her gear and moving to the laces of her skates. “I've got some change in the car, just let me get these off-"

“I'll grab it,” Blake hummed in amusement, rolling her eyes. She had already taken off her skates and all her gear and stood with her car keys in hand.

“How the hell you un-gear so fast is beyond me,” Ilia mused. “You sure its okay?”

“Of course it is.”

The chameleon grinned, opening her arms and moving closer to Blake. “You're the best Blake!”

Blake moved out of the way, her nose wincing at the smell. “I know I am,” she hummed, quickly darting away from the table and towards the exit. “I'll be back in a second.”

 

As Ilia undid her skates, the empty seat was occupied by Yang, giving the chameleon her signature smile.

“How you doing?” the blonde asked, the night in the bathroom unspoken between them.

“Been worse,” she replied with a half smile, pulling off one skate and starting to untie the other. “A little time and I'll be good as gold.”

Yang seemed relieved to hear that, looking between Ilia and the door. “Haven't said anything?” the blonde whispered, Ilia replying with a shake of her head.

“Don't think I will to be honest,” she admitted quietly, her voice resigned. “Her friendship and happiness is worth more to me than that.”

Yang softened a little, playfully nudging Ilia's arm. “Well, if you ever want to go to a gay bar and get drunk, hit me up and I'll come along.”

Ilia rolled her eyes, removing her skate. “Are you kidding me? You'd steal every potential date away,” she teased.

“Hey, I'm the best wingwoman I know!” Yang defended, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “I got Pyrrha and Rubes together and they're like the token couple of the league!”

“And Velv and I are what exactly?” Coco sung from the other end of the room, the two women hand in hand and gear packed away in suitcases.

“You guys were already engaged before Velvet joined the league, that doesn't count!” the blonde retorted.  Coco laughed heartily in reply but Velvet didn’t make a sound. Instead she stared out of the door, concern all over her face.

“Blake?”

 

Yang and Ilia immediately straightened up, looking towards the door. Something wasn't right. The chameleon rose from her chair quick enough to knock it over and sprinted towards the door, Yang following close behind.

Blake was hysterical, sprinting from outside back inside the building, her shoulder making contact with Yang and toppling her over. She didn't stop, running further into the building.

“Blake!” Ilia cried, footsteps on Blake's tail as she followed.

The two disappeared around the corner, Yang quickly hauling herself onto her feet.

“Yang, what's going on?” Ruby asked, wide eyes furiously darting her sister and the corridor that Blake and Ilia had disappeared down.

“I...I don't know,” she admitted, looking over her shoulder before turning back to Ruby. “But its okay; Ilia's got her, I'm just gonna make sure she's okay.”

“But I wanna help-"

“Ruby, its not our place love,” Pyrrha told her girlfriend, moving to stand behind her. “Blake wouldn't want us to pry, lets give her some privacy.”

 

The rest of the team wordlessly agreed, hauling their packed gear over their shoulders while Yang moved towards the corridor. The closer she moved, the louder the crying became. Yang didn't realise her footsteps had quickened. The scene before her made a pit form in her stomach.

Blake was curled in the corner of the dead end corridor, knees to her chest and arms cradling her head and bracing for an impact that wasn't coming. Ilia had her arms wrapped around Blake as best as she could, gently swaying Blake the way you would rock a child after a nightmare. The sobs, no - _wails_ , were flowing from Blake's mouth, as Ilia murmured soft reassurances into Blake's hair, her feline ears pressed firmly against her skull.

Any gentle word or reassuring phrase Yang tried to form was trapped by the lump in her throat, afraid Blake would shatter into millions of pieces if she spoke too loudly. After a heart-wrenching eternity, Ilia looked up and met panicked lilac eyes.

“What happened?” Yang mouthed, searching calm grey eyes for answers, her feet carrying her closer and closer to the two Faunus.

“I don't know,” Ilia mouthed back, looking back to Blake's hunched figure.

“Nothing is going to hurt you here, I promise,” the chameleon breathed. “Yang and I are here, nothing is going to get to you.”

At the mention of Yang’s name, the blonde watched the feline stiffen.

“No no no, not her too,” she heard Blake whimper and Yang fell to her knees, wanting to protect Blake from whatever was making her this frightened. “Don't- _please_ don’t let her get her hurt too-"

“Shh,” breathed Yang, a gentle hand running through the loose strands of sable hair. “You're okay, everyone's okay. Nothing’s gonna hurt you baby.”

The term of endearment fell so freely from her lips that Yang hadn't realised until it had left her mouth. Neither Faunus seemed to notice or care, Ilia looking up at Yang with a slight nod, an unspoken agreement between them. They were both were here for Blake. Whatever they felt for her or however long they had known her was irrelevant; they both wanted the same thing.

 

Yang gently played with raven strands, Ilia's thumbs tracing a soothing pattern along Blake's arms. Eventually the wails reduced to quiet sobs and hitched breaths and Blake slowly raised her head her arms, her amber eyes dull and bloodshot. She wiped a stray tear away with the heel of her hand, sniffling before taking a deep breath.

“’M sorry,” Blake mumbled in a voice so timid and quiet that Yang felt her heart break all over again. “I didn’t mean to make a scene.”

“Please don't apologise,” Yang pleaded, stilling her hand, gently moving it to rest between her shoulder blades. “You have nothing to be sorry about. This rink is a safe space, and you will always be protected here.”

Blake managed a weak smile and nod in reply. A blind man could tell the smile was fake but feline ears were no longer glued to her skull; Yang assumed that was a good sign.

 

“Was there something outside?” Ilia asked in a whisper, carefully watching Blake's face as amber eyes stared at a point on the ground.

“Yes,” Blake mumbled eventually. “A car. Black coupe. I thought-" The lump in Blake’s throat got in the way, the feline swallowing before murmuring. “I thought I saw _him_.”

Yang’s eyebrows furrowed while Ilia's eyes widened. The chameleon looked like she was desperate to ask something, opening her mouth then closing then opening again and uttering a single word.

“Adam?”

Yang felt Blake stiffen under her hand.

“Yes.”

 

Whoever this Adam man was, two things were obvious; he was intrinsically intertwined in Ilia's and Blake's lives, and Blake was absolutely terrified of him. Yang racked her brain for anyone that she knew who ever mentioned an Adam. Anything she had heard in the news or seen in articles but her brain came up empty.

Ilia must have seen how confused the blonde was, looking to her with steely grey eyes and a face set in an iron resolve.

“Adam Taurus,” she started, her thumbs continuing a pattern on Blake's arm. “Extremist Faunus rights protestor, bigoted misogynistic asshole, and Blake's ex.”

Feline ears fell at the final statement, trying to hide from the truth of this man she could have possibly loved.

“Blake got herself away from him a few months ago, but he's as determined as he is possessive.”

“He's been hounding you,” Yang mumbled to herself, but Blake seemed to hear and nodded.

“We've taken a lot of steps to put as much distance between ourselves and him, but Adam knows a lot of people and he's clever,” Ilia explained. “Every time we try to do something, its one step forward and one step back.”

The blonde could only nod, lightly running her hand up and down Blake's spine. “I'll let security know. They'll keep an eye out for him, if he asks about you they'll deny any knowledge of your presence, and if he ever enters the premises he won’t touch you,” she offered to them, desperate to give them something that would help.

Blake made no sound or acknowledgement but Yang felt Blake's muscles soften under her hand. Ilia looked at Yang and smiled, sadly but appreciatively. “Thanks Yang,” she murmured.

Yang mirrored the smile, looking out the corridor then back to Ilia. “Lots of broken people find themselves in derby; in the strangest way possible it breaks your body, but fixes your soul.”

Nothing more was said. Ilia and Yang helped Blake to her feet, the three girls walking in tandem out of the corridor and back to the tables beside the rink. While Ilia and Blake grabbed their bags, Yang spotted a splash of colour on the table, reaching for the sticky note.

Reading it with a grin, she passed it to Blake as the two Faunus neared. Confused, Blake's voice quietly mumbled the words.

“To Blake, we all love you and believe in you. Whatever battles you're fighting and whatever demons you're facing, we're all in your corner. Whenever you need us, just say the word we'll be there faster than Weiss' 27 in 5,” Blake let out a slight chuckle at that, smiling slightly as she read the rest of the note. “With all our love and derby stank, the Valkyries.”

On the back of the orange sticky note, every team member – even Ruby and Penny – had signed their name, some with smiley faces and others with hearts or other small drawings.

“I think we found an alright crew,” Ilia hummed with a slight smile, watching as Blake folded the note in half and tucked it into her pocket, grey eyes looking back up at lilac with a smile.

 

Yang walked both the Faunus to their car, keeping her arm around Blake's waist with Ilia's around Blake's shoulders. Helping them place all their gear in their car boot, Yang gave Ilia a hug goodbye as the chameleon took the car keys, insisting she'd drive. As Ilia hopped into the driver's seat, Yang moved a touch closer to Blake, arms slightly outstretched and asking a silent question. Blake softly smiled, closing the gap and holding Yang close, the blonde following her lead. Yang felt Blake sigh into the embrace, the blonde gently cupping the back of Blake's head, her other arm around her waist.

“The thing about love is you can't feel its touch, until you let someone know that this world is too much,” Yang whispered into Blake's hair, remembering a poem she had read once, offering Blake a light smile when they pulled away. “If anything is ever too much, let us know okay?” The silent _let **me** know_ was unspoken but Blake seemed to understand.

“I will,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

Blake parted and climbed into passenger side of the car, the engine turning on once she did. Yang waited until the car drove away before slipping on her helmet and climbing onto her bike, setting an alarm for half an hour later before starting the engine.

_Call YBR security, place ban on Adam Taurus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> // hi hello there I am back briefly! I am currently with next to no internet contact but I have been writing a heck ton which means more content and you guys get a nice long chapter! yay! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, make sure to leave a comment or feel free to hit me up on my tumblr @lemoniriss and I will see you guys next chapter! - lemon x


	9. Rolling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Chapter: Crush Culture - Conan Gray

Blake hadn't slept in days. Try as she may, it was beginning to show. The feline had developed a talent for covering any sort of mark on her skin with concealer, but the purple beneath her eyes was seeping through. Blaming work was a weak excuse.   
  
Miss Malachite didn't pry any further into the ban, but on the quieter nights she always made sure to ask Blake if she wanted to go home early. For that, Blake was grateful, even if she didn't always take the offer. The rent and bills needed to be paid, and while she could get away with not eating before, she certainly couldn't now that she was skating so often.    
  
As much as she loved the skates Ilia gave her years ago, they weren't made for derby. While it was a welcome challenge to perfect her skills on these skates, she found herself on skating websites a little too often than her bank balance would like. Blake hadn't bought anything, not yet. Her current skates were still in good enough condition that she could keep using them, and the Valkyries had lent herself and Ilia gear to borrow until they could afford their own. Even so, the feline had started slipping loose change into her bedside table, saving up for a set up of her own; a pair of Riedell 265 Minx skates. They were sleek, streamlined and gorgeous but also very expensive - roller derby was not a cheap sport.

 

So in all honesty, Blake dove into her work more than ever. Her bank account may have appreciated it, but her body certainly did not. Sleep came in regularly incremented power naps, but Blake could count the hours she slept every day on one hand.

 

_ Brr brr _

 

Blake’s heart lept into her mouth, the vibrating of her phone ripping her from her half awake thinking. Attempting to quell her anxiety and  telling herself to breathe slowly, she bit the bullet and reached for her phone. She had expected a text from Ilia, maybe Sun or work asking her to come in tonight, but not this.

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Blaaaaaaaaake _

 

Yang never texted her. All of their conversations happened in person, and the blonde had called her once to check if she was coming to training since Ilia hadn't answered her phone. All things considered, it was a pleasant surprise but Blake was more than a little confused at the sudden message. 

 

Typing in her passcode, she hit the notification and formed a reply, yawning as she did.

 

_ [Yes?] _

 

Less than 30 seconds later, her phone vibrated again. Blake was taken aback by the speed of the reply, chuckling softly.

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ How ya feeling? I know shit like that takes a while to get over but i wanted to check in _

 

Blake felt a ghost of a smile cross her lips. She had tried not to harbour any guilt over what had happened at training last Sunday, but still wasn't entirely at peace with breaking down the way she did. But this small gesture, this simple question, meant a lot to Blake. Maybe more than it should have.

 

_ [I'm alright. Thank you Yang],  _ was her short but simple reply, her mind still rather drowsy. 

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ No problem Blakey! :3 _

 

Apparently Yang was just as energetic through message as she was in person.

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Whatcha doin tonight? _

 

The feline racked her brain, her fingers tapping along the screen.

 

_ [Not sure, sleep hopefully. Might binge watch Poirot if I'm feeling adventurous] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Poirot? You mean that tiny french detective guy with the epic moustache? _

_ Blakey, you and i have very different ideas of ‘adventurous’  _

 

_ [Well what's your idea of adventurous then?] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Woah okay there, you gotta be at least level 10 friend to find out my kinks _

_ Or at least buy me dinner _

 

It took a moment for Blake to realise that the laughter she was hearing was her own. Granted it wasn't much but a laugh was still a laugh, and that meant she was (hopefully) healing.

 

_ [I didn't mean that you deviant], _ Blake replied, chuckling when Yang immediately sent a slew of laughing emojis.

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ For real tho, you planning anything tonight?  _

_ Wasn’t sure if you and Ilia were up to stuff _

 

_ [No, Ilia is currently napping then working tonight]  _

_ [Hence binging Poirot] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Wanna come for a skate tonight? _

 

_ [Rink isn't open tonight], _ the feline sent back, staring at her phone with a quizzical frown.

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Not the rink silly _

_ Probably should've clarified lol _

_ Y'know the trail that goes along the water?  _

 

_ [Near the harbour?] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ That's the one! _

_ Skating that at sunset is like the best thing ever _

_ Plus there's that diner nearby? Best milkshakes in existence imo _

_ You in? _

  
  


Blake let the idea swim around her head for a moment. Advice she had been given time and time again was to put on skates whenever the chance was there, and the idea of getting out of the house didn't sound as terrible as usual. But she would also be in public which meant she could easily be seen if someone was looking for her. Even with her next counselling appointment lined up, she couldn't help but be more on edge than usual - which was saying something, given Blake’s constant state of muted anxiety.

 

_ [Is the trail normally busy?]  _ Blake replied, weighing up the pros and cons of going as Yang typed back. She knew the area vaguely, but Blake couldn't remember the last time she was there.

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Not this time of year, breeze is kinda chilly so most people avoid it _

_ There's security cameras along the whole trail and im pretty tight with the diner workers in case something happens  _

_ But if you don't feel safe going i totally get it _

 

The feline thought for a moment, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. 

 

_ [Can you have me home before dark?] _

_ [Ilia has the car] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Absolutely. _

 

Blake felt herself smile, at the certainty of Yang's reply and their plans for the night. Looks Poirot would have to wait.

 

_ [I'm in.] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Sweeeeeet! I'll pick you up at 4:30? Sunset isn't until 6ish _

 

_ [Sounds good. See you in a few hours :)] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Can't wait! :D _

 

///

 

The hours ticked by slowly and Blake was vaguely aware of how often she was checking her phone. She had given the blonde her address already, Yang had no other reason to message her. What was she even doing? Groaning, she hid her phone under a pillow and tried to focus on whatever song was playing on the speaker. Something about crushes and spilling guts. 

 

Sighing, she dug back under the pillow for her phone and checked the time. 4:12 - just enough time for a shower before Yang picked her up. Moving to the ‘bedroom’ part of her tiny apartment, she dug through the draws to find something to wear. Yang told her it would be chilly but she was bound to sweat because of skating and none of her training gear looked halfway decent on her. Wait, where did that thought come from?

 

It was a skate, not a date.

 

_ Ugh, I sound like Sun. _

  
  


Ignoring the blatant rhyme her mind had created, she grabbed a long pair of black workout leggings and a dark plum V-neck shirt. Retrieving her speaker, she headed to the shower. Undressing as the water ran and warmed up, a song played about ocean eyes and falling. Singing along, Blake let the warm water run over her muscles, breathing a little more life into her body than there had been the past few days.

 

Clean and content, the feline twisted the tap closed, reaching for her towel and climbing out of the shower. Drying herself off, she checked the time on her phone - 4:27. Not enough time for makeup.

 

“It would come off anyway,” Blake justified with a mumble, pulling her shirt over her head. Slipping on her leggings, she grabbed her phone and keys, checking the time once more - 4:29.

 

Darting out of the bathroom with quiet profanities slipping from her lips, Blake threw on a dark grey workout hoodie and slipped on some black ballet flats. She was sure she had clean socks in her skate bag, which sat by the door. She hadn't gotten around to airing her gear out yet, hopefully Yang didn't mind. 

  
  


4:30 on the dot, Blake heard a rumbling engine driving up to her apartment building before it was replaced by silence. Looking out the kitchen window, she saw a familar yellow figure standing by a motorcycle in the driveway, appearing to type something on her phone. On cue, Blake’s phone vibrated in her hand.

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ I'm hereeeee! _

_ Do you want me to come up? _

 

_ [No I'm ready],  _ Blake typed, slinging her skate bag over her shoulder. [ _ I'll be down in a second :)] _

 

[Message from Yang Xiao Long:]

_ Otayyyyy :D _

  
  


Running through a mental checklist of everything she needed, Blake locked the door behind her, slipping her keys and phone into her backpack. Walking down the hallway and descending the 3 flights of stairs a little quicker than usual, she exited the apartment building and found Yang leaning against her motorcycle, an extra helmet in her hands. 

 

_ Hopefully this won't be as bad as I think it will be,  _ Blake thought.

  
  


“Well fancy seeing you here,” the blonde chirped, liac eyes hidden behind a pair of aviators, looking to the bags strapped to the side of her motorcycle. “Do you wanna put your stuff in the compartment?”

 

“No, it's okay,” Blake assured her. “I...prefer keeping my things on me. Thank you though.”

 

Yang made no comment about Blake's admission, just offering an easy smile, and Blake wondered if it was a crime for someone to be so effortlessly attractive.

 

“No worries,” Yang hummed, holding the helmet a little higher in her hands. “Ever been on a bike before?”

When Blake shook her head, Yang’s posture softened a little, and moved closer.

  
  


“Sorry about the helmet - the harbour isn't far from here, hopefully it doesn't hurt your ears too much,” the blonde apologised, drawing a small smile out of Blake.

 

“It's alright, I'm used to it from training,” Blake told her, gently taking the helmet from Yang's hands which the blonde readily surrendered.

 

“You can actually get custom helmets with spaces for your ears,” Yang mentioned, watching Blake's ears fold against her skull before she slipped the helmet over her head. “It's this cool Faunus run brand that makes tailor-made gear. Pretty sure Velv got her helmet from there.”

 

“I'll ask her about it next training,” the feline hummed, fingers fumbling with the straps and clips underneath her chin to no avail. Chuckling lightly, Yang tilted her aviators down and moved a little closer to the feline.

 

“I'll get it,” she hummed, bending her knees a little to Blake's height ( _ She's so much shorter without her skates, _ Yang thought to herself), fastening the clips with practised ease.

 

“There we go,” Yang whispered once it was all done up. “Not too tight?” she asked, smiling when Blake shook her head in response and frowning less than a second later. Seeing her this close, Yang saw that those normally startlingly bright amber eyes were muted and dull, ringed with a deep shade of violet.

  
  


“Gods Blake,” the blonde murmured, watching the raven haired girl intently. “It looks like you haven't slept a wink.”

 

Blake blinked a few times, tearing her gaze away from Yang's face but not moving any farther away. “I've been sleeping, I promise,” the feline assured her, moving her gaze back up. “Just not as much as I'd like.”

 

Yang didn't pry any further into it, nodding a little before stepping away and offering her signature smile. “Hopefully a good skate will tire you out enough to fix that,” she hummed, walking over to the motorbike. Blake merely rolled her eyes in amusement and followed her, watching Yang swing her leg over the bike and settle into her seat.

 

“So how do I get on exactly?” Blake asked.

 

“There's a little step where you can put your foot; put your left foot on there and swing your right leg over,” Yang explained. “Balance on my shoulders if you need to.”

  
  


Blake scanned the bike frame, eventually finding said step. Placing her foot onto it, a hand gently grasped Yang's shoulder as she swung her leg over and rested on the seat.

 

“There you go,” the blonde hummed, chuckling lightly as Blake's awkwardness rose to the surface. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah, just um- what am I supposed to hold on to?”

 

“That would be me,” the blonde replied, turning around to face Blake. “Or if you'd rather, there's little handles on the-”

 

Before Yang could finish her sentence, Blake's other hand moved to rest on Yang's other shoulder, the feline offering a wordless smile.

 

“Would you rather I grab onto your shoulders or somewhere else?” Blake asked, as Yang kicked up the stand.

 

_ Oh there are so many places I want you to grab onto, _ the blonde thought.  _ Holy shit, Yang you need to calm down. You little nasty. _

  
  


“Up to the passenger really, but most people find it more comfortable to hold around the waist,” Yang explained, facing the front and securing her own helmet. 

 

Yang had tried not to blush - honest to whatever was in the heavens, she tried to make this interaction as platonic as possible. But then she felt Blake's hands run down her spine then snake over her hips and interlock over her lower stomach. Her body felt awkward and rigid, and Yang mentally pleaded Blake to relax; both so Blake’s muscles wouldn't seize before they started skating and because Yang's selfish mind wanted to feel her closer.

  
  


“No good trying to hold yourself up like that,” Yang chuckled lightly. “Just relax, get comfy.”

 

After a beat of silence, she felt the Faunus slide a little further down her seat, her thighs fitting snugly against Yang's, Blake's chest pressed fully to her back. All things considered, Blake was holding her rather loosely. It was almost a tease - to feel her so close but know there was still so much space between them. Yang was suddenly very grateful that she was no longer facing Blake.

 

_ Yang: you useless, horny ass lesbian - you need to get laid. _

 

“Okay, so only thing about being a passenger on a motorbike? Relax,” Yang started, getting her train of thought back on track. “When we go into a corner, don't try to fight it. Just hold onto me and go with the feeling.” The blonde felt the girl behind her nod, feeling Blake's arms wrap a little tighter around her torso. 

 

Yang had been on and around motorcycles since she and Ruby were children, and in her comfort forgot how intimidating riding on one can be. Humming in thought, Yang moved to gently grasp Blake's forearm, turning her head to face the raven haired girl. 

  
  


“I won't be able to hear you very well over the engine and the wind,” Yang admitted, looking into soft amber eyes. With the hand near Blake's elbow, Yang gently squeezed and watched Blake's expression in case it changed. When she found it didn’t, she continued. “My dad used this system all the time when Mom rode with him - if I squeeze, I'm asking if you're okay. So you think of a way tell me you're okay and a way to tell me you're not, and we're all set to go.”

Blake nodded at her words, seeming to understand. Her face was unreadable for a moment, one of her hands moving to gently grasp Yang's hip and squeezing once.

 

“This means I'm okay,” she started, relaxing her hand before squeezing twice in a row, shorter than the first. “And this means I'm not.”

 

Yang’s lips swept up into a grin, repeating the pattern back to Blake on her arm. “Once for okay, twice for not okay?”

 

Blake hummed in agreement, moving her hand away from Yang's hips, holding her torso. Reluctantly, Yang removed her hand from Blake's arm, roaring the bike into life.

  
  


“Ready?” the blonde yelled over the engine, slowly turning and wheeling the bike around to face the road. 

 

“Ready,” Blake yelled back. Once the street was clear, the bike slowly began to pick up speed, until they were darting along the empty road. Blake found there was no longer any space between the two of them, especially with how tightly the Faunus was now holding the biker. Yang must have noticed, and Blake could hear a distant laugh over the wind and the engine that sounded like pure sunshine.

 

Eventually,  they came to a corner and Blake tried her best to follow Yang's instructions. In the end, she just clung onto the girl in front of her, and focused on the warmth under her hands to stop herself from panicking. Exiting the corner, the feline felt a hand on her forearm and a soft squeeze. With a soft smile, Blake moved her hand to Yang's hip and squeezed once in response. Sliding her palm back along Yang's torso, Blake felt her cheeks warm.

 

_ Oh Gods, are those abs? _

 

///

 

The ride to the harbour didn't take long, but it was too short all the same. After any sharp corner or acceleration to clear a yellow light, Blake always felt a squeeze on her forearm and always replied with a single squeeze of her own.

 

Yang wheeled the bike into a parking spot, killing the engine before unclasping her helmet and lifting it over her head. Blonde hair was pulled into a thick Dutch braid and Blake wondered for a moment what it would look like out and flowing.

  
  


“So  _ now  _ I get why you ride a motorcycle,” Blake teased removing her own helmet, a lilt in her voice that didn't go unnoticed by the biker.

 

“What are you trying to say there?” Yang replied with a chuckle.

 

“You essentially use a giant vibrator as a mode of transport, and any passenger spends the entire ride pressed up against you. Sounds like the perfect way to pick up a date.”

 

“Are you accusing me of ulterior motives?” Yang asked in mock offense, turning to face the Faunus, drawn in by the playful look in her eyes. Yang decided she liked that look, probably a little more than she should.

 

“Would I be wrong?”

 

The purr in Blake's voice added more colour to Yang's cheeks, the blonde scoffing playfully to clear the lump in her throat.

 

“Wow Belladonna, just wow,” she chuckled. “That's rich coming from the one that's pressed against me.”

  
  


Yang watched Blake bite her bottom lip, slowly pulling herself away from the blonde and Yang immediately missed the contact.

 

“So, getting off,” Blake started.

 

“Easy there Blakey, you haven't even bought me dinner and you're asking me how I get off,” Yang teased, lips pulled up into a smirk. Blake merely rolled her eyes, slapping Yang's shoulder.

 

“I meant how do I get off the bike, you deviant,” the Faunus chuckled.

 

“Find the step, hold onto me for balance and swing your leg back over.”

 

Remnants of a laugh escaping Blake's lips, she grasped Yang's shoulders and climbed off the bike. Removing her bag from her shoulders, Blake pulled out her phone and typed away at the screen. As Yang climbed off the bike and grabbed her gear out the saddlebag, she noticed a splash of orange on the back of Blake's phone.

  
  


“You kept the note,” she mused softly, apparently loud enough for Blake to hear.

 

“Of course I did.” As if to prove it, she extended her phone out to Yang, showing the note tucked away in her clear case, nestled next to a polaroid of her and Ilia. Both girls had large grins and closed eyes, coaxing a soft chuckle out of Yang.

 

“Nice photo,” she commented, both girls delving into their bags for their gear.

 

“Birthday tradition,” Blake explained. “Get drunk and take a Polaroid - Ilia and I have done it for years.”

 

“I've been meaning to ask Ilia about her birthday, I only found out a few days before and I couldn't really think anything to get for her.”

 

“It's alright, Ilia doesn't like attention so she prefers a quiet birthday. But she kept gushing about how you guys all her birthday messages,” the Faunus hummed. “Honestly it made her day.”

 

“Ah that's nothing,” Yang dismissed. “Should've seen what some of the girls do whenever there's a chance for a party.”

  
  


As the two girls laced up their skates, Yang lept into the story of Coco’s wild bachelorette party, and all of the inappropriate decorations that had scattered the living room of Yang's childhood home. Apparently, Yang's dad not only allowed various explicit decorations to be put up around his home, he had actually assisted in the setting up of the party. The only conditions he had were to keep the house clean and drug-free, and leave a non-explicit goodie bag for Ruby.

 

“Did they actually manage to get one for her?” Blake questioned, doing up her wrist guards.

 

“We wrapped a bunch of cookies up in cellophane, bought her a new set of dice for Dungeons and Dragons and gave it to her the next day,” Yang chuckled. “You would have thought it was her birthday with how excited she was.”

 

Skates done up and wrist and knee pads attached, Yang stood and unzipped her leather jacket, revealing an orange T-shirt with the Vale Valkyries symbol printed on the front.

 

“When is Ruby's birthday?” Blake asked, slowly getting to her feet as Yang stowed her jacket in saddlebag of her bike.

 

“October 31st.”

 

“Halloween?”

 

“Hell yeah - she hated it when we were kids but as she’s gotten older she embraces it.”

 

Blake slung her empty backpack over her shoulders as Yang tucked her phone and keys into the waistbad of her workout leggings. With both girls ready to go, Blake set a leisurely pace along the trail, Yang keeping up effortlessly. As they skated, the conversation between them flowed like a river to the sea.

  
  


Blake learned that Yang worked as an apprentice mechanic but didn’t get many hours, not wanting Ruby to constantly be home alone since her dad worked as a nurse and was almost always on call. She learned that Yang had lost her mother in a car accident when she was 11 and Ruby was 9, and they grew a garden in their backyard in her honour. They buried her ashes beneath the willow tree where she and Yang's father first met, and he still visited the site every night he wasn't at the hospital. Yang's derby number - 69 - was a double entendre; while also a blatant sex joke, Yang's birthday was July 22nd, and the symbol for her star sign Cancer looked like 69 turned sideways. Despite starting traing for derby when she was 18 and playing for almost 4 years she had never broken a bone while on skates, but she had broken her arm as a child by falling out of a tree. 

 

Yang learned that Blake was born in Menagerie, and could speak the language fluently. Her parents still resided there, and the Faunus called them every Saturday morning. She was an only child and her parents had sent her and Ilia to Vale for boarding school when they were 17. She worked as a bartender but was very particular with her alcohol, and rarely drinked anything other than whiskey. Before Blake had her emo phase, she had a pin-up phase in her early teens. She knew how to swing dance and used to always wear a fake flower clipped in her hair. She only stopped when she moved to Vale and started wearing a bow to hide her ears, but still had her collection of flowers. Blake had several tattoos planned but hadn't gotten any yet, because she couldn't pick which one she wanted to get first.

 

“Why don't you just flip a coin?” Yang suggested. They had reached the end of the trail, sitting on a jetty and catching their breath. “Or roll a D20 or something.”

 

“And leave it up to chance? No thank you,” Blake had hummed in reply, smiling as the Sun began to sink below the horizon.

 

“Okay, well is there a design you're really excited to get? Or one that means a lot to you?”

 

Blake hummed for a moment, staring ahead in thought before turning back to Yang. “Belladonna lilies. But I haven't figured out the placement yet.”

Yang whistled in awe, thinking for a moment herself. “You could get them on the front on of your shoulder? Plus you could have the stems running along your collarbone.”

 

Blake's eyebrows drew together in thought, unfurrowing as she nodded slightly. “That could work,” she mused. “I'll get Ilia to draw a rough sketch for me.”

 

“Ilia can draw?”

 

“Everything except people. She constantly leaves little sketches on sticky notes all over my apartment.”

 

“Do you think she'd draw a commission up for me? I'd pay her obviously,” Yang asked, intrigued by the information.

 

“No harm in asking, depends what you want her to draw.”

 

“Chinese dragon,” Yang started. “I've been wanting get one tattooed for ages but I've gone through hundreds of designs and I haven't found one I really liked.”

 

“None of them cool enough?” Blake teased, earning a light pinch from the blonde. Soft laughter filled the sea air, carrying their quiet joy out with the current. 

 

“Nah, a lot were way too aggressive. Like, Chinese Dragons are symbols of wisdom and strength, but so many people draw them as these loud, gross, gaudy monsters.”

 

Blake hummed either in thought or agreement, maybe both, turning to Yang with a soft smile. “That's understandable, I don't think Ilia will turn you down unless she 100% can't draw it.”

 

“I'll be sure to ask her then,” the biker hummed, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “It'll be dark soon. Shall we head back?” Blake mirrored Yang's sigh before nodding, rising from the bench and stretching her arms into the sky. 

Yang watched the beauty reach up, and for the sake of Blake's privacy and her own peace of mind, she tried not to stare at the strip of skin that showed when the fabric lifted. But then she saw the scar.

 

It was healed, and decorated the skin an inch away from Blake's left hipbone. It was easily the same length as Yang's palm and didn’t look like something from an everyday injury, or even a surgery.

Yang's heart must be familiar with the pit of her stomach by now, it seemed to sink down there a lot recently. Her head swarmed with questions, grasping at straws and old medical facts her dad had told her, trying to figure out what could have caused a scar like that.

 

“Nice view?”

 

Only when Blake broke the silence did Yang realise she was staring. Directing her sight up, instead of judgement or insecurity, she found mirth dancing in amber eyes.

 

_ She doesn't know I saw the scar. _

 

Yang pulled her signature smirk, playfully letting her eyes trail up and down Blake's form.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Blake chuckled softly, slapping Yang's shoulder lightly as the blonde stood. “Take a photo; it will last longer,” she chided teasingly before skating back along the trail.

 

Yang paused for a moment, letting Blake gain a lead before following after the Faunus. Skating slowly, she pulled out her phone and headed to the camera. Holding it steady, she clicked a few times before tucking her phone away and catching up to Blake.

 

///

 

They weren't sure who had started it, but the pair had ended up racing each other back to the bike. Yang had won, of course, but Blake didn't fall over which she counted as a success. They sat on the curb, unlacing their skates and catching their breath from the impromptu sprint and the endless laughter that surrounded it.

 

“I don't think I'll need core day tomorrow with how much we've been laughing,” Yang mused.

 

“You have core day on the same day as training?” Blake asked in disbelief. Yang didn't reply straiight away, pausing in thought.

 

“Is it Thursday tomorrow?” she asked eventually.

 

Blake hummed in affirmation, slipping both skates off her feet as Yang groaned slightly.

 

“Well damn. Bad time management or secret masochism; the world will never know,” the blonde muttered.

 

“Is roller derby always filled with queer women with pain related kinks?” Blake teased.

 

“Well not all of us spend our time swing dancing Belladonna.”

 

The feline rolled her eyes, undoing her wrist guards and pulling them off. “Honestly, I haven't danced in years.”

 

“How come?” Yang quizzed, filling her bag with her gear before heading to her bike. “From the way you talk about it, it sounds like something you love.”

 

“It is,” Blake started in a mumble, placing her own gear into her bag, cutting herself off with a sigh. “It's just- With everything that's happened, I don't get out a lot. And it's not something you can do a lot of by yourself.”

  
  


Yang knew she had pushed too far. She had heard the resignation in Blake's voice, how she glossed over details but told enough that she thought would satisfy Yang. Sighing quietly, she chucked her skate bag into the saddlebag and closed it.

 

“I'm sorry,” Yang murmured, hearing Blake walk towards her. “I shouldn't have pushed, I'll be more careful.”

 

“You didn't mean anything by it. It's okay,” Blake assured her quietly. The blonde moved to face her, mirroring the small smile the feline was giving her. 

 

“If you say so,” Yang hummed, smiling a little wider. It had been such a good night, she didn't want it to end on something like this. One hand rubbed the back of her neck, looking at the beauty sheepishly. “I can be a little insensitive at times, even if I don't mean to be. If I ever am, feel free call me out on it, ‘kay?”

 

Blake merely smiled. “Call I call you out on your constant sex jokes too?”

 

Yang grinned, giving her a quizzical look. “Says the one who called my mode of transport a giant vibrator.”

 

“You didn't exactly deny it.”

 

“Shut up Belladonna,” Yang managed through a laugh, retrieving her her helmet and passing the spare one to Blake. 

Helmets on and secured, the two girls climbed onto the motorcycle, fitting together with their bodies pressed close. Yang's cheeks still flared pink as Blake's palms slid oved her stomach, but the contact was definitely one she enjoyed now that the feline didn't feel so rigid behind her. As the engine roared to life, Blake had asked if they could take the long way home. Yang had no reason to object.

 

///

 

It was only an extra few minutes on the trip, but it had made it all the better. Sadly, it couldn't last forever as the motorcycle rumbled up the driveaway to Blake's apartment building. Yang killed the engine, holding the bike steady as Blake clambered off.

 

“Home before dark, as promised,” Yang hummed with a smile, watching Blake remove the helmet and shaking her long dark locks free.

 

_ If she keeps this up, I'm gonna be crushing in no time. _

 

“A woman true to her word,” Blake hummed in reply, placing the helmet in the empty saddlebag before moving back around to face Yang. “Thank you for tonight, I really enjoyed it.”

 

Yang gave her a beaming grin. “No need to thank me,” she assured the beauty. “I definitely enjoyed it too.”

 

Blake laughed softly and Yang could've sworn it sounded like bells.

 

“Drive home safe. I'll see you at training tomorrow?” the feline asked with a warm smile.

 

“Assuming core day doesn't kill me,” the biker joked. “Get some rest okay?”

 

Blake nodded, waving her goodbye before heading inside the building and out of sight.

Yang smiled a little, reaching for her phone and heading to the message tab. Selecting her most recent photo, she attached it to a brief message and sent it off to Blake. Before she got too carried away, Yang tucked her phone away and brought the bike back into roaring life, easing it down the driveaway before racing off into the empty street.

 

[Message to Blake Belladonna:]

_ [Image attached] _

_ there was a beautiful view tonight :3 _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i figured i should probably stop hurting my favorite characters lol, I've got no jdea when the next uodate will be but i hope you enjoyed this one! - lemon x

**Author's Note:**

> //hey guys! welcome to the first chapter of Bruise & Butterflies! I've recently started derby myself and after having a poke around and not finding many roller derby AUs for RWBY, I decided to make my own! To stay true to the game I will be using the correct terms for each move that the team learns but for those who know nothing about derby, don't worry! I'll try to explain everything in a way that's easy for a non-skater to understand.
> 
> If you like, please listen to the Song for the Chapter whilst reading! The song will either feature in the chapter or encompass the mood of it, plus you might discover some new artists along the way!
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you next chapter (whenever that may be)! - blackberrycigarettes//


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